- The Law Minister who causes problems
Democracy and free media are inextricably intertwined. Without the former, the latter cannot flourish and vice versa. An independent media helps democracy keep on the right track. Without it, there is every likelihood that democracy may descend into authoritarianism. It holds accountable the politicians and the ruling party. Journalists come up with investigative reports, taking the wraps off the scandals to keep the stream of democracy pristine and flowing. It is the independent and fearless media, which helps keep the flame of democracy burning. Democracy dies in darkness when dissenting voices in the media are systematically silenced and they are intimidated and coerced into retreating. Sadly, when it comes to the freedom of media, the record of the present government is appalling.
It was both the print and electronic media that went the extra mile to give coverage to Imran Khan’s Long March, followed by 126 days of sit-in against Nawaz Sharif and then the Panamagate scandal. Columns were written. Detailed reporting was carried out. Hundreds of hours of TV programmes were telecasted. Marathon live coverage was given to live telecast 126 days of sit-in. Not only this, Imran Khan was given special coverage for the election campaign conducted by his party, PTI, throughout the country to pave the way for his success.
Journalists, who erstwhile would side with PTI, are increasingly becoming disenchanted and disillusioned with the ruling party, thanks to the dismal and lacklustre performance put up by Imran Khan in general and Usman Buzdar in particular. The promises and lofty claims made by IK are fast turning out to be empty and hollow rhetoric. Hence the barrage of criticism he’s facing. However, this crucial fact is lost on Imran Khan. Those who voted for him have grown fed up with the refrain that “he is well-intentioned”. They ask, what of intention when he cannot deliver?
What journalists are reporting, or criticising is but a mirror of the feelings and opinions expressed by the common man, who is being crushed under the weight of the skyrocketing prices of commodities and the rampant inflation. To top it all off, the bureaucracy has stopped working for fear of being entangled in the ubiquitous web of NAB. It goes without saying that the bureaucracy acts as a wheel of a country. When a single wheel of a car does not move, the car cannot move forward, rather, it comes to a screeching halt.
The establishment of Media Tribunals would be a recipe for striking at the heart of the freedom of opinion and taming the media, so that the criticism being levelled on the government may be reined in. Besides it would ride roughshod over freedom of speech ingrained in Article 19, thereby reducing it to a farce. Ironically, it is the autocrat rulers, who are the torchbearers of the agenda “silence the dissenting voices and chain the media”.
In what way would such muscular politics replenish the empty coffers of the country? Are those in the ruling party “sacred cows”, therefore, above board and accountability? Would Imran Khan wake up and smell the coffee?
The Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) and all other media bodies/organisations were in unison in coming down hard on the government’s sinister plan to bring into being Media Tribunals with a view to crushing dissent, suppressing criticism, thus muzzling the freedom of opinion. They stressed that the journalists in Pakistan would resist any such step at all costs. Their protests came to fruition and finally, the government had to give in. The government stepped back, when the special assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan, announced that government would share the draft of the bill with the stakeholders before tabling the same in Parliament.
Farogh Naseem, the federal Law Minister, in his legal wizardry, is arguably doing more harm than good to the image of the ruling party. It was he, who took a personal interest in drafting and filing a reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa before the Supreme Judicial Council, thereby bogging the country in a legal morass. Hardly a day goes without him pulling a rabbit out of his legal hat, causing disquiet and outrage among the country. For all his talk of bringing in new legislation, his ministry has lately failed to help pass any bill into law by Parliament.
A government’s performance can be easily gauged by the fact that its cunningly soft-spoken and honeyed voice federal law minister is more focused on causing one legal controversy after another than legislation, which is his primary duty.
This is not the first time, the ruling party had to do the volte-face when it comes to the Federal Law Minister’s ill-advised proposed legislation. The Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 had to be taken back in the face of the storm of criticism it unleashed. This ordinance aimed at extending the amnesty of Rs228 billion in the head of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) to influential industrialists, and owners of fertilizers, CNG and Captive Power Plants, K-Electric, GENCOs and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). When it came to light, it caused huge embarrassment to the ruling party. As a matter of principle, Farogh Naseem should have resigned or Imran Khan should have shown him the door. Deplorable as it was, neither happened.
This is not all. All hell broke loose when he hinted at invoking Article 149(4) of the Constitution with a view to giving directives to Sindh government, presumably about resolving of vexing issues of water scarcity and garbage prevailing in the province. Apart from it, quite recently, the law Ministry has put forward the proposal to bring an amendment in the relevant law with respect to the production orders of the members of the National Assembly.
At the end of the day, the way the country is being governed is shocking, to say the least. A climate of fear and hopelessness pervades the country. Capital is flowing out of the country. No new foreign investment is coming. The dollar stands at 156.15 rupees at the time of writing. In short, the country’s economy is in a complete shambles. Instead of fixing the economy, the time, energy and efforts are focused on throwing the political rivals behind the bars under the garb of the sham accountability process, which reeks of a political vendetta. The issues of education and health have been relegated to insignificance. The common man is, therefore, justified to ask, what jailing the politicians has to do with redressing the economic woes? Would this pull the country from the brink of economic collapse? Or is it just a political gimmick to pull the wool over the people’s eyes? Would this not further sow the seeds of discord and division among the nation? In what way would such muscular politics replenish the empty coffers of the country? Are those in the ruling party “sacred cows”, therefore, above board and accountability? Would Imran Khan wake up and smell the coffee?
