Amid increasing censorship in the country, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has urged media houses to resist the government pressure, saying the media should stand united if it doesn’t want to become a tool for anyone.
Addressing a social media workers convention in Lahore, the PML-N VP said no one would be able to cower the media into submission if the media houses stood united against repression.
She said the government has pitched news channels and anchorpersons against each other, adding that those who had “courage to speak were asked to sack anchors if they didn’t want to get shut down”.
It may be mentioned here that after the current government came to power, several journalists were sacked from their jobs. The journalists she is referring to could include Matiullah Jan, Nusrat Javed, Murtaza Solangi and Talat Hussain. But not all of the journalists were fired, Talat, for example, parted ways with Geo after mutual agreement.
In a reference to the incarceration of Geo head Mir Shakilur Rehman, she said the heads of those channels who refused to capitulate were put into the NAB cell. She said media was even not free to run the name of a retired officer on TV, as it only broadcasts scripts approved by the authorities.
“I understand that these channels are doing it under compulsion, but asked for how long they will endure this,” Maryam said, adding that “Geo News is nowadays against us [PML-N], but I know it is facing pressure”.
According to the PML-N leader, journalists like Matiullah and Ali Imran were being abducted but the ‘fake’ prime minister had no idea about it when asked on TV.
“If you don’t know who attacked Maryam’s room in Karachi and who kidnapped Captain (r) Safdar and Sindh IG then why people shouldn’t call you ‘Khaw Makhaw’,” she said alluding to the Karachi incident after the PDM rally in the port city.
She asked the media for how long it would endure this attitude. Maryam said if the same situation continued then one day the journalists will be whisked away from their houses and then they will have to say that they went to the northern areas for ‘recreation’.
