Faheem Niaz
Senator (1k+ posts)
Difah-e-Pakistan Councils (DPC) long march against the resumption of NATO supplies was mostly neglected by the mainstream media of Pakistan. A march of that sort against the government is massive and it was unfortunate that no media channel paid any heed to the happening.
One can have all sorts of disagreements with the leaders and the parties participating in the rally but being in the business of news and event reporting, DPC deserved its fair share of coverage. I drove a lot in the streets of Islamabad that day and found the main Jinnah Avenue closed. I had an immediate work in Rawalpindi that day but could not get there because of the road blocks due to the march. It was gigantic happening in Islamabad but alas no media coverage. Another feather in the cap of our independent and responsible media. Personally, I do not subscribe to the viewpoint of DPC and also a strong critic of some of them.
While writing this article, my father opined that if same treatment was given to the movement of judiciary then today there would never have been an independent judiciary in Pakistan. The trend of selective coverage by the media is very alarming and against the ethics of journalism.
Besides the medias attitude, one more thing has been evident after all this. Whatever the agenda of DPC is, I guess, majority of people in Pakistan are against the resumption of NATO supplies. Many, to whom I talked, were livid that why PML-N and especially PTI were not a part of this protest. If not a part, then they could have initiated their own rallies but no one came up with it.
PTI is known to be against the NATO supplies and always play the popular politics. PTI has previously organized sit-ins in various parts of the country against the NATO supplies. But this time around, PTIs stance seems 180 degree to their previous one. I also remember Imran Khans recent statement that PTI is not anti-US in the backdrop of reopening of NATO supplies. Does that ring a bell?
PTI and PML-N, both, have been in the race to announce rallies and protests against the government on various issues but this time their mum raises several questions on both the parties. I would never have said all that if both the parties did not raise their voices against NATO supplies but they have been banging the drums against it. Mere rhetoric!!!!!
Imran Khan, who carries a lot of hopes of people of Pakistan on his shoulders, has started to disappoint many after he rose to prominence after 30th October, 2011. I dont know whether it has become difficult to come out on the streets against US for the political parties or they dont want to, even if the popular will demands so. And one of them i.e. PTI or PML-N will be the upcoming government in Pakistan.
Writer is a political commentator, blogger and tweets [MENTION=6459]SAQIB[/MENTION]Tanveer
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