This is with reference to the news published in an English daily on 8 February 2012 informing about a meeting between Ms Nina Maria, US Counsel General in Lahore and renowned senior journalist Mr Najam Sethi. Reportedly, it could not be ascertained what issues were discussed in the meeting.
It is not just surprising but also suspicious that what really made the US Counsel General to pay late night visit to the senior journalist whose show, coincidently, on that particular night was a blatant outcry of his pro-US views especially vis-à-vis Pak-Iran gas pipeline.
This is not just a case of America’s ingress into Pakistani media as few months back, ‘The Christian Science Monitor’ not only disclosed connection of an American organisation named ‘America Abroad Media (AAM)’ with two Pakistani journalists, Huma Imtiaz of ‘Express News’ and Awais Saleem of ‘Dunya News’ but also the funding from the organisation whilst working for other news outlets.
It is deplorable to know how the US State Department is heavily involved in funding the journalists in Pakistan to give prominence to their own vested agenda. The US is making investment in Pakistani journalists to side with it in this fourth generation warfare. In this kind of war, journalists are very important soldiers and their reports are effective weapons.
This is called media manipulation. It is true that some factions in electronic media have either been thriving on conspiracy theories or indulged in pursuit of personal gains or have certain motivation for taking side but now at this critical juncture, when Pakistan is passing through the most difficult time of its history, the media needs to act responsibly.
HINA ASHFAQ
Islamabad