Can political reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) succeed without media reform s in the region? This key question is at the heart of a roundtable being held in Islamabad on Thursday (today) that will be attended by large group of FATA stakeholders including political representatives, legal eagles, civil society organisations, government functionaries, media men, regulatory authorities and academics.
“Recent steps have been taken to introduce political reforms to bring the region into mainstream Pakistan and extend the same rights to the region’s citizens as granted to and exercised by the rest of the country. However, media reforms are not part of these important political reforms, which is a significant mistake in terms of the rights of FATA residents,” according to a press release of Intermediates Pakistan, a national media development organisation that is conducting the roundtable dialogue.
The roundtable will present a comparative analysis on the state of media freedom and information access in the country and especially in the tribal areas. Beside exploring legal perspectives on why people in FATA fare poorly in terms of indicators of freedom of expression and access to information, the roundtable will also explore how can media reforms be part of political reforms in FATA to strengthen the voice of the residents of the region and to guarantee their rights.
“Freedom of expression, as enshrined in the Article 19 of the Constitution and access to information, as guaranteed under Article 19A and inserted in the constitution through the 18th Amendment, should be the cornerstone of the political rights extended to FATA,” the press release said, adding that it was not implemented in practice due to procedural obstacles that were not being removed.
To discuss the ignored link between people’s ability to exercise their political, social, economic and cultural rights and right to freedom of expression and access to information, Intermedia Pakistan is conducting a series of roundtables with FATA stakeholders including citizens of FATA, representatives and notables from the region, relevant government functionaries, political parties, civil society, media, regulators, and parliamentarians to educate them on this link as well as to forge a consensus on media reforms for FATA as a means to ensuring the success of political reforms for the region.
FATA is a theatre of conflict between Pakistani authorities and militants. The conflict has displaced many from the region and added a major socio-economic dimension to the regional conflict. An outcome of this conflict has been greater media spotlight on the region and the state of denial of several rights to the locals in the practical context.
The roundtable will, besides considering the causes of the relative ‘information darkness’ in FATA in the absence of indigenous independent local media, explore mechanisms to improving awareness and providing support to bring FATA into the fold of mainstream media in Pakistan so that its residents are guaranteed freedom of expression and access to information as enshrined in the Constitution.
