Hayam Qayyum

Course: Political Communication

Roll no: 833379
Program: PhD Mass Communication
Course Code: 6763
AIOU, Islamabad
Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Discussion
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan

Freedom of Press
Means freedom of communication and expression through
vehicles including Print, Electronic and other media out
lets
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
The United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights states: 

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;

This right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference, and impart information and ideas through any
media regardless of frontiers”

Universal Declaration of Human Rights ,1948 ( Booklet Published UN,Geneva,1998)

 Article 19 of The Constitution of
Pakistan Freedom of speech
Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and
expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any
reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory
of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any
part thereof friendly relations with foreign States, public order,
decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court,
[commission of] or incitement to an offence
Article 19(A) of The Constitution of Pakistan
Right to information

Every citizen shall have the right to have Access to

Information in all matters of public importance subject to
regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan

Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan

 Controlled (Authoritarian Approach)
 Nationalist (Under the State and support National
Building Process )
 Islamist
 Free/Independent
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan

Newly Born State and Press (1947)

According to Comrade
“Press played vital role in Nation Building Process and Rules
and Regulations were kept aside”

(Jafri,1958,p462)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
After the Death of Jinnah

 Exploitation started by the Political Government to avoid criticism

of the press and to avoid being exposed to Masses
 The exploitation of Evacuee Property for massive personal gains
 Private sector’s contribution to boost political economy almost
negligible

Resulted
 Newspaper stared accepting Bribes and Financial assistance from
the Government and started supporting malpractices of the Gov
 Lack of support from Masses as they were not aware of Freedom of
Expression
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
First martial Law and Press
Field Martial General Ayub Khan
Ending of Parliament system
Land reforms in West Pakistan
Referendum 1960 for Introduced first constitution (250)
in1962

Resulted
Censorship was accepted with out resistance
Press and Publications Ordinance (1963)
First victim “Progressive Paper Limited”
(Niazi,1987,p.79)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Another Military Regime
1969 Genral Yahya Khan introduced Provisional
Constitutional Order (PCO)
It suspended the fundamental rights and restricted the courts
to pas order to intervene according to the will of Martial
Law administration

Resulted
Silence of Press
(Ahemd ,1985)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
First General Elections 1970 (Transition)
East Wing: Awami League won 160 seats in east and 300 in
national Assembly (Sheikh Mujeeb)
West Wing :PPP won Punjab and Sindh (ZAB)
Nort-west Frontier Province and Baluchistan wing: National
Awami Party
General Yahya the ultimate authenticator represented the Military
Gov
Resulted
Political Parties started publishing Newspaper like Daily Kohistan
by Muslim League
(Ahemd ,1985)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
After First General Elections 1970 (Transition)

Five groups of Newspaper controlled the whole Press

 Pakistan Herald Publication s Limited 7 publications

 Nawa i Waqt 2 publications
 Millat group 2 publications
 Jang group 3 publications
 Pakistan Observer group 3Publications

Resulted
Mostly backed by Political powers ,Funded and influence

(Zaman,1970,p.511)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan

After First General Elections 1970 (Transition)

Two Bodies of Journalists formed

1.Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors

2.Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists

(Zaman,1970,p.511)
(Zaman,1970,p.519)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Prologue to New Era
PPP in Power (Zufiqar Ali Bhutto)
(Islam our Faith, Democracy our Policy ,Socialism our Economy)
(Roti Kapra aur Makan)

Wanted to Project his Point of view all the time (Hero of Asia)
Resulted
Title; Mountains don’t Cry (1972,Altaf Gohar wrote Editorial in
DAWN)
ZAB said “Please keep him out on all the occasions”
Nawa I Waqt criticized the Gov and faced humiliation
“One more chance by info Minister”
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
New ERA (1972)
National Economy and Press
Gross National Product (GNP) progressed from Rs.45,924
Millions in 1970 to 141,462 Millions in 1976
Resulted
25% cut in official Advertisement

(Zaman,1970,p.511)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Third Martial Law 90 Black Days
Zia ul Haq

Under Martial Law Regulation MRL (49)

Pre censorship
Stability of country is at stake as press is poisoning the
minds of innocent people
The action had been taken in the pretext of Shariah
The perseverance of democracy

Resulted
5 dailies,6 weeklies,2 monthlies Suspended

 (Niazi 1987,pp175-6)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
90 Black Days
Third Martial Law by Zia ul Haq
 MLR4 let the journalist learn what they should not publish
 MLR 48 Prohibited the publication of Political news
 Dependency of press on the Government Advertisement
 No freedom of Expression

Resulted
Violence and Humiliation
Imprisonment to Journalists

(Niazi 1987,pp175-6)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
First Regime of Benezir Bhutto (1988-1990)
 Conflicts between center and province affected the Press
 Gov never took notice on Violence against the press
 Lack of Intuitional support to Journalist
 No mass level coverage
 Functionalism among journalist and newspaper org resulted mute war
 No one knocked the door of Judiciary
 New Licensing system (Audit Bureau of Circulation) Advertisement
rewarded to Yes Men
Resulted
 Lack of Objectivity
 Threat to the life of Journalists
 No appreciation
 Press started taking Bribe (Niazi,1987,p.90)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Second Regime of Benezir Bhutto (1993-1997)
1.Watching the watchdogs
 Editor “Takbeer” murdered
 Daily Nawai Waq reporter attacked and office attacked by rocket launcher

2.Law in action
 Sindh gov banned five evenings newspapers
 RPPPO 95 Introduced (Registration of public press and publication ordinance)

Resulted
No Newspaper reacted
CPNE and APNS showed little reaction
3. Tax as a control tool
 5% sales tax imposed on newspaper. Custom duty on newsprint was raised by
91% and imported machinery taken back
 Daily khabrain,nawai waqt and the nation were denied for ads
 Corrupting the press
(Zamaan ,1997,p.96)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
First Regime of Nawaz Sharif (1991-1993)
Violence against Journalists
Lowering credibility of press
Gov made the list for blackmailing the journalist who were
on the payroll of political parties
Journalists heavily bribed
Use of Article 124A,114,109 of Pakistan penal code for
Sedition and Treason against the state
(“The News” published poem against Gov then apologized
on front page)
22 grade offered to some columnist
(Niazi,1987,p.106)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan

Second Regime of Nawaz Sharif (1997-1999)

Same position for Press
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Different Regimes of Press in Pakistan
Another Dark Era 1999 onwards General Pervaiz Musharaf
 Militarizing the Politics
 Liberal policy of Media
 PEMRA 2002 Changing landscape of media (licensing )(Regulate the
establishment, operation of all private broadcast media and distribution
services in Pakistan (83 for satellite TV chanels,38 for news and current
affairs,33 entertainmt,25 sports and others)
 Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance 2002
 Freedom of information ordinance 2002
 The newspaper, news agencies registration Ordinance 2002
 Defamation Ordinance 2002
 Copyright 2002
Resulted
 Commercialism /Conglomeration /Cross media Ownership
 Consumerism (Increasing media consumer 63 million in 2004 to 86
million in 2009, revenue of 23 Billion 2009)
 Permission 10-30 % Fee and GAR 5% (gross advertising revenue)
(Niazi,1987,p.96)
 Freedom of Press in Pakistan
Most dangerous Country for Journalist

 Killings 71 (2001-15)
 Abduction 21
 Detention 40
 Threatening/assaulted 88
 Injuries 64
 Between 1997 and 2007 over 1,100 journalists have been killed
in 1 decade
(Reporter sans Borders, 2015)
 Role of Global Media in Pakistan’s Media
Role of Conglomerates
Consortium
Concentration on Commercialization

Model for the Capitalist to embrace where a hand full of

large Conglomerates control the mainstream media
around the globe
(Chomsky & Herman, 1989)
 Global Media Motives
1. How does the global media change our concepts of
self, family, community, work, leisure, politics, art,
nature, time, and distance?
2. How does it influence how we learn, what we know
and what we are capable of knowing?
3. Who controls the global media and what are their
agendas?
4. How does the global media reproduce or challenge
unjust power structures?
5. What new opportunities for human empowerment
does the global media provide?
 Who Controls the Media
“Media Guardians” 100 people that decide
what you watch, read, hear, download

“It is a Matter of Power, not Equality”

(Kalbfleisch, 1992)
 Theories and Models
AGENDA SETTING
NEWS FRAMING
MEDIA RICHNESS
MEDIA DEVELOPMENT THEORY
MEDIA DECEPTION THEORY
 PROPAGANDA MODEL
ALLSCHUT MODEL
 Media Freedom Now
Sociology of News Production

News is the blend of chance and intention, normality

and catastrophe, instrument and accident, expectation
and surprise, narrative and interjection that makes up
the news
 Media is Sans Freedom
Chomsky Model
1.The size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit
orientation of the dominant mass-media firms
(Cross Ownership , Mega richness, Black Money)
2.Advertising as the primary income source of the mass media
(PID,DGPR, Pak Media is Commercialized, Morning Shows)
3.Sourcing Mass media news
(The reliance of the media on information provided by
government, business, and "experts" funded and approved by these
primary sources and agents of power (Politicians and Real Estate
Business , Own Media)
4. “Flak” as a means of disciplining the media (Lack of Citizen’s
Participation)
("Flak" refers to negative responses to a media statement or program)
5.“Anticommunism/Anti Ideology:" as a national religion and control
mechanism. These elements interact with and reinforce one another
(Herman & Chomsky,1988)
 Media is Sans freedom
Regulatory Pressures
Establishment
Pressure Groups
Religious Groups
Censorships
Judiciary
Ideological
Gatekeeping
Lack of Pluralism
(Reporters without Borders,Survey.2014)
 More and More Media
141 Commercial Radio
45 Non Commercial Radio
89 Satellite Channels (over 40 in pipeline)
06 MMDS Licenses Issued by PEMRA
(Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS)
20 Channels obtained landing rights
PTV Channels 11

Print media included over 402 dailies (National), 718

weeklies, 107 fortnightlies, and 553 monthlies
 Media Now
Increasing Consumer Base

Million Estimated TV viewers in Pakistan Above than

50 million above
Internet User Above than 20 millions

Media do not sell any product rather sell its audience

in the hand of Advertisers
 Freedom Matters or Finance Matters
Fight of Gross rating points (GRPs) or target rating points (TRPs)
Content Control
Lack of Social Issue
Sensationalism
Breaking News Phenomenon
Blackmailing
Falsification
Propaganda
Slang Language
Exaggeration
Polarization
Biasness
Commercialism
Hyper Reality
Secret Funds
Promotion of Terrorism
Global Media support
 What Next ?
Two Schools of Thought
Media is Free
Media is not Free, but Independent
Thank You