Many would still hold out and say that the verdict isn’t out yet. But the TTP has claimed responsibility for Amjad Sabri’s assassination and we don’t yet have a reason not to believe them.
It is still surprising. Yes, in sectarian terms, the TTP is opposed to qawwali, but, other than the restive north-west, musicians hadn’t yet been targeted specifically. There is a huge swathe of musicians – those of the religious variety – in both the Punjab and Sindh. Qawwali the Taliban might be opposed to, but one assumes they’d be more at odds with na’ats set to Bollywood ditties.
At times like these, it is impossible not to make connections and one connection in particular is doing the rounds. That is the notice that the Islamabad High Court had served, amongst others, to the late singer during the hearing over a blasphemy petition in 2014.
There was a measure of irony in the incidents that led to this accusation of blasphemy.
Where was the irony? Read below.
In 2014, Geo’s “alpha slot” news anchor Hamid Mir was attacked in Karachi. He escaped by the skin his teeth. The famed journalist had been doing programs critical of the military establishment in the time period immediately prior to the incident. For whatever it is worth, his brother, a respected journalist in his own right, said his brother had confided in him as to who was to blame were something were to happen to him. Geo decided to say out loud the fellow’s name, who happened to be the country’s top spymaster. It was irresponsible for it to do so, no doubt about it. But in a media climate where Dawn, the staid grey lady of the Pakistani fourth estate, can call an incoming Pakistani prime minister “Raja Rental” in its lead headline without any proof, this irresponsible journalism certainly wasn’t a first.
What followed, of course, is media history, with the channel being dealt a severe blow across the cable networks of the country (through illegal arm-twisting, of course) before actually being taken off air temporarily. It still hasn’t recovered completely.
It was round about this time that a set of rival channels starting circling up above. Heading this group was the ARY network. And the face of its anti-Geo campaign was Mubasher Lucman.
Voices of caution, both within the fourth estate and without, used to point out that though ARY and the like might have cosied up to the establishment at the moment, their turn to be in the latter’s cross-hairs would come eventually. This caution did not affect the likes of Mubasher and ARY. We will never be in that position, because we won’t ever do anything to offend them in the first place.
Now, though one might find this frank admission of a lack of commitment to actual journalism shameful, at least it is internally consistent. It could, theoretically, be practised. To become a neo-PTV for the powers-that-be isn’t something to be admired in principal, but you could keep practising insipid journalism that won’t get you in trouble with those who actually run the country.
However, in his zeal to do in Geo, Mubasher Lucman went one step too far. He finally flew too close to the sun. Lucman, a former Lollywood producer, with a limited mind, lacking a keen eye on history or society, pointed out religious transgressions like a giddy class monitor taking himself too seriously. He did not realise that certain flames are better left unkindled. He ran a program against a Geo morning show hosted by Shaista Lodhi. One that had played a manqabat, a religious hymn, in the background of a mock wedding. (Online viewers can watch below.)
http://tune.pk/video/3064274/
This was a step too far, because once you unleash this fire, it’ll eat up everyone. It soon transpired that the hymn in question was a sectarian wedding staple and had, therefore, been featured on nearly all the channels in a similar context. Including ARY.
Featured below (online viewers only) is the same manqabat sung by Amjad Sabri on ARY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The fact of the matter is that, regardless of what your religious aunt tells you, almost everything is acceptable and almost everything is a sin. Even within the framework of a state that is not secular, the fact that there is no single interpretation of Islam that everyone agrees on is always going to be problematic when charting out what is permissible and what isn’t. Even the (very) few areas that all sects do agree on wouldn’t be something Lollywood types like Lucman would want enforced.
Once one goes into the business of seeking out easily offended religious folk for the purpose of hurting your enemy, those easily offended religious folk are going to hurt you as well. In hurting Geo, ARY hurt itself and – though it can’t be said conclusively – it hurt poor Amjad Sabri as well.
It would be wrong to say that, if one were to remove all possibly objectionable content, we would only be left with Peace TV , QTV and Madni TV because the content of these latter two channels is actually objectionable to those who watch the first, and vice versa.
There really is no end to it, unless a resolve is made to keep religion out of statecraft and regulation.
The government should get out of the TV business, which is a total waste of money.
Comments are closed.