Pakistani, Indian journalists pledge to promote peace, harmony, friendship
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
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– Indian journalists seek formation of Pak-India Media Friendship Association
– Pakistani journalists express desire to promote peace with India through media overtures
– show deep desire to enhance ties between peoples of both countries through media endeavors
ISLAMABAD- Pakistani and Indian journalists have pledged to promote peace and harmony amongst the Pakistani and Indian nations by exercising healthy and substantial journalism and by enhancing people to people contacts, using media platforms and also to remove misconceptions, established amongst the ordinary people from both countries over the past many decades.
These pledges were made here yesterday when a team of independent Indian journalists that is visiting Pakistan on a peace and harmony promotion visit, headed by celeberated Indian journalist and Anchorperson Manju Dagar, called on the Editor-In-Chief of The Daily Mail and Chairman of Pak-China Media Friendship Association Mr. Makhdoom Babar.
Ms Manju Dagar, who holds the Best Regional Anchorperson Award, honored to her by Media Federation of India as she has the amazing experience of working with a number of famous Indian media organizations, including Indian Stet media organizations like Doordarshan TV and All India Radio, in the backdrop of her professional experience agreed to Mr. Makhdoom Babar’s thoughts that since both Pakistan and India were nuclear armed countries, it was highly pivotal for media professionals of both countries to act with enormous maturity and responsibility and to avoid sensational journalism when it comes to reporting about the relations between these two nuclear neighbors and this particular factor required extraordinary responsibility in news reporting over Indo-Pak bilateral issues. Yes Mr. Makhdoom Babar is absolutely right, there are certain hawkish anchorpersons and new reporters in both countries who often cross certain red lines while holding talk shows and reporting events with regard to Indo-Pakistan relations and particularly during tense situations. Such attitudes, yes, of course, are bound to create any untoward situation and thus it is about time that such elements should shun sensational journalism and better opt for substantial journalism with positive mindsets and with maturity and responsibility as irresponsible and merely sensation based attitudes and aggressive approaches could push both nations into some highly unfortunate scenario asserted Manju.
Makhdoom Babar emphasized on the need for media from both Pakistan and India to rise above to contribute for a lasting peace in this part of South Asia and must do the same with acute responsibility. This is the call of the hour that both Pakistani and Indian journalists should shun the negative attitudes and must use all their energies to deliver to cater to the needs of common man in their respective countries. It is the prime responsibility of media organizations and individual journalists to promote peace between the two nations instead of enhancing negative feelings about each other as only peace could benefit the masses. I must take this opportunity to plead to Indian media to become a pressure group over Indian government to force New Delhi to shift its spending from military purchases to projects that could help the poor people of the nation of over a billion, improve their lives and to eradicate poverty. I would also take this opportunity to advise the individual Indian journalists to set aside hawkish attitude towards Pakistan as by doing so, they are actually tearing the two nations apart rather than bringing them closer to forge a real peace and harmony. I am sure that there are very sane and mature journalists like Ms, Manju across India but still certain hawkish and hostile journalists and anchorpersons are becoming more prominent in Indian media which is not a good sign to me, said Makhdoom Babar. He said that he was really shocked to see the attitude of certain unscrupulous and highly irresponsible anchorpersons in Indian media who remain 24×7 in anti Pakistan mod and they touch extreme heights when some highly sensitive episode occurs with regard to Pakistan-India relations like the one that happened on 26/11 in Mumbai when Indian media persons, instead of showing any level of maturity and responsibility, right in the middle of the tragic incident, even before the terror act was over, shifted their media canons towards Pakistan and by virtue of what, they even twisted the mindsets of the genuine investigators.
He said that despite the fact that no single person at any level, all over Pakistan, ever supported or appreciated the tragic 26/11 incident and instead deeply condemned this gory episode, yet, certain Indian media houses and prominent individual anchorpersons and print media journalists created an atmosphere to convince the entire Indian nation that it was the Pakistani nation that was responsible for 26/11. Well who can call it responsible or substantial journalism? This was merely the journalism at its worst. In such a sensitive scenario, Indian media, that is perhaps the biggest and the oldest in the region and has otherwise a very profound background, starting from British rule era, should have shown some little level of responsibility while on the other side, a rather minnow, Pakistani media, showed great responsibility and kept its cool. I believe that the stronger and the vibrant Indian media is, it must display the matching and befitting maturity and responsibility. There was a time when both Pakistani media and Pakistani government used to blame India or its RAW for every bad thing happening in Pakistan. But that was till the 80s and 90s. It is no more there.
Now, Pakistani media, showing maturity and responsibility, do not jump straightaway to the conclusion of blaming India for every evil happening here, even amidst very strong doubts about the same and so have been doing the governments at Islamabad. May be this is because we have realized that it is not India and its RAW or IB alone as many other foreign agencies and elements are also causing troubles in Pakistan or maybe we, the Pakistani media, have gone too cautious in getting into a blame game, to save our credibility and reputation across the world. But it is a fact; In Pakistan, you would hardly see such hurriedly hurled blames over India by media while in India, certain media persons have still locked themselves in the theory of blaming Pakistan for every evil happening in India. By doing so, they are actually eliminating the possibilities of tracking down the actual culprits, actual hands and actual forces behind these conspiracies and this is what has made Pakistan, India ties very vulnerable to everyone across the world to dent these ties by hatching such conspiracies. I have covered many wars as a journalist. I have seen wars and I have seen the miseries of masses during the wars from Lebanon to Iraq and from Iraq to Afghanistan. These wars only help the Western powers like the United States to sell their weapons and arms to the war locked countries. So to my professional advice to my worthy colleagues in Indian media is that instead of making efforts to create war like scenarios between Pakistan and India and instead of encouraging Indian Forces to go for aggression, they must make efforts to defuse tensions as a Pakistan India war. In today’s scenario, would serve none by would simply destroy at least half of the humanity, asserted Makhdoom Babar.
Manju Dagar completely agreed to this view point and said that media from both countries must show acute responsibility to ensure that peace must prevail and should put all professional efforts to defuse tensions rather than adding fuel to the fire. Nobody, really, In India. also wants to witness a Pak-India war. We the Indians are also a peace loving nations but, Yes! There are certain hawkish media elements out there who very loudly talk of war. But they are not only in India but on both sides, may a bit more in number in India as number of media persons is also much high in India if compared. But I totally agree that media, in any part of the world should always play role for peace and not war, stated Manju, who is also the Secretary General of an Indian NGO named YUVSATTA (Youth for Peace), adding that there was the need of the hour that both Pakistani and Indian government should try to develop faith and trust in each and should judge each other’s sincerities by each other’s acts without listening to what other say. Yes! She is right, others like Americans should not be allowed to tell us that how should we, the Pakistanis and Indians, should behave with each others. They cannot be trusted as they do so for their own benefits and a very strong example in this direction is that of US Secretary of State Chuck Hagel, who back in 2011, when Americans wanted to sell weapons to Pakistan, state that India was supporting terror to Pakistan via Afghanistan and today when US is eyeing Indian kitty for its weapon sales to India, the same Chuck Hagel’s Pentagon has come up with a statement that Pakistan is supporting terrorism in India. So how can they be believed in such an inconsistent state of affairs? questioned Makhdoom
To a question Makhdoom Babar agreed with Indian journalists that there were hawkish elements in Pakistan that have been talking of hoisting Pakistan’s flag on Delhi’s Red Fort for years while similar hawks were there in India who talk of conquering Lahore by India and to have victory tea at Lahore Gymkhana . But here we have to realize the fact that those who talk of hoisting Pakistan flag on Delhi’s red Fort have no acceptance in Pakistani society as they could never win even a local body election of a Union Council anywhere in Pakistan while those who talk of destroying Pakistan and conquering Lahore etc have been very strongly accepted and acknowledged by Indians as they have obtained historic votes to form a strong single party government in India. I guess this difference must be kept in mind while talking of Hawkish elements in Pakistan and India, asserted DM Chief.
Indian journalists highly appreciated the efforts of The Daily Mail’s Chief to form Pakistan-China Media Friendship Association that was contributing since 2006 to promote healthy journalism in both countries and to enhance people to people contact but expressed that before forming Pak-China media friendship body, he should have formed Pak-India Media Friendship platform.
The Indians said that since Pakistan and China were already enjoying very cordial relations and extraordinary friendship while the same was lacking a lot in case of Indo-Pakistan ties, it was important that Mr. Makhdoom should have initiated such drive in this direction and should have formed Pakistan, India Media Friendship Association first. They however suggested that without wasting further time, as it was, though, never too late, Pakistan, India Media Friendship Association must be established at the earliest as such a step would not only be playing a vital role in bringing journalists from both countries closer and together to make joint efforts for peace, harmony and friendship between the two nations but this platform would also emerge as a pressure group for both the Indian and Pakistani governments to take solid and practical steps for lasting peace and cordial ties for the welfare of the people of both countries while it will also be very effective to eradicate misconceptions on both sides of the border and to discourage anti-peace hawks.
We have made it as our next target to form Pakistan, India Media Friendship Association with clear and sincere intentions for forging peace, harmony and friendship amongst the two neighboring countries through media endeavors, without any official involvement, stressed Manju. Responding to this, Mr. Makhdoom Babar very warmly welcomed the suggestion of the Indian media team and said that he would put his and his team’s all sincere efforts for such a cause for the promotion of peace and harmony. I totally agree with you. There is much need of such a genuine media body in this direction. See, SAFMA did not work; Aman Ki Aasha went even worst as both had very shady backgrounds and had clouds and clouds of doubts behind the intentions. But a genuine media body like ours is with regard to China and has genuine acknowledgments from hundreds of genuine journalists from both countries, if launched with regard to India, would surely earn very good results with regards to ensuring peace and in eradicating misconceptions amongst both the people and the journalists of the two countries, said Chairman of Pak-China Media Friendship Association.
In the end, The Daily Mail Chief ensured the visiting Indian journalists that The Daily Mail would continue to make all the professional efforts to ensure peace and harmony amongst the two nations with all the sincerity. Please be sure that The Daily Mail is by no means against India or the Indians. We are by no means a hawkish media organization. We have never supported Pakistan-India tensions and thus have never encouraged, by any of our act and content a Pakistan, India war or even war like situation. We have always contributed to the efforts of the peace. Our only crime that has earned us a bad name by the Indian intelligence establishment and certain hawkish media persons from India is that we merely expose and confront the conspiracies of Indian intelligence infrastructure against Pakistan and especially against Pak-India peace overtures and that too on the basis of solid and concreted evidences, never merely as a propaganda campaigns. We would welcome if Indian media could do the same in case of Pakistan, on the basis of solid evidences like ours. We, as a media organization and I personally do not have any bad feelings for India or Indians at all. I watch Indian movies and enjoy Indian music. I am hosting you here with all the warmth in my heart and with all the sincerity in my feelings. you must have realized that how open, how professional and how deeply the peace seeking and peace promoting media organization we, The Daily Mail, are and how much positive feelings do we have for people of India. However we, by no means can keep our eyes wide shut over the wrongdoings of Indian Intelligence agencies with regard to Pakistan, That is not on as that is our basic professionals duty as a professional media organization and we cannot do dishonesty to our profession. We are friends of Indian public and Indian media and expect Indian media to reciprocate in same manner explained The Daily Mail Chief.
In the end, Indian media team presented The Daily Mail’s Editor-in-Chief with a memento, a pen sketch of Mahatma Gandhi and invited him to visit India on his earliest availability.
Earlier, Indian journalists also visited the National Press Club, Islamabad where they were received by President and General Secretary of the NPC. Senior NPC leaders and veteran journalists Tarique Chudhary and Afzal Butt briefed the Indian journalists about activities of NPC and the welfare projects that the NPC was running for the betterment of the journalists. Both Pakistani and Indian journalists during this brief interaction at the NPC pledged to promote Pakistan, India ties and vowed to spread peace, harmony and friendship amongst the two neighboring nations. They also agreed to increase the interaction between Pakistani and India media persons and stressed upon the need of intensive exchanges of media delegations between the two countries.
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