- Cyril Almeida in court
A newspaper reporter is eternally in search of facts particularly from those who are known to be in possession of these. Nawaz Sharif had something important to say. Having been the Prime Minister thrice he is supposed to be the repository of vital information on important issues. Any newspaper reporter, particularly one who is also a columnist, would have pounced upon the opportunity. Cyril Almeida decided to hear Nawaz out and since the former Prime Minister talked about a relevant issue, he filed the report. The journalist’s task is to report and not to censor. He simply puts down what he had been told. Taking action against him amounts to shooting the messenger.
It is perturbing to learn that Almeida has been issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest by a Lahore High Court bench in treason case against former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The orders to put Almeida’s name on no fly list and issue non-bailable warrants of arrest will send a demoralising message to the media which is already under considerable pressure. A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield power. Democracy cannot survive without a free press. If those in power including the high profile institutions are left without a check, democracy will not take long to metamorphose into autocracy. Like the multi-party system and the Parliament, the free press is an equally important pillar of democracy.
Cyril Almeida failed to appear in the last three hearings of the case. A courageous man and a law abiding citizen that he is known to be, one does not expect him to dodge the law. He needs to attend the court at the next hearing to defend himself. One hopes that once Almedia appears at the court, his name would be removed from the ECL. Media restrictions lead to its decay. Unless there is a free press in the country, there would be no need to buy newspapers and no need to watch the TV because there would be nothing worthwhile to tell.
