The events in Lahore Tuesday evening, where former minister Sher Afgan Niazi was beaten by a mob is the latest example of this. There have been allegations that the action was deliberately orchestrated. Certainly, it seems rather oddly similar to the events at the Sindh Assembly where former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim was also assaulted in similar fashion. There has as yet been no adequate explanation as to why police, still in the control of caretakers when each of the incidents occurred, failed to intervene -- though this of course is no excuse for barbaric behaviour that is completely indefensible.
There have been other incidents too. The report, quoting sources, of a 'charge-sheet' allegedly issued against deposed judges by a petulant Asif Ali Zardari at a closed door meeting of his party's central executive committee in Naudero is one example of these. On the same day that the story surfaced, a PPP spokesperson denied any deviation from the Murree accord reached just a few weeks ago with the PML-N. Mian Nawaz Sharif too asserted he trusted Asif Zardari as a 'man of commitment'. But in many ways, by planting suspicion in minds, by deflating the spirit of optimism that has been ushered in among ordinary people with the changed political order, the damage had already been done.
There have been other examples too. The PPP's defence minister has denied he described President Musharraf as a 'national asset'; another senior party leader, Amin Makhdoom Fahim, has repeatedly denied he is a 'mole' for the presidency and the PML-N has been forced to reaffirm several times that the understanding between the parties remains undented. Reports of PPP ministers making 'secret' offers to deposed judges appear to fall in the same category of accounts based on undisclosed sources.
Rumours that the new 'atta' crisis that has hit Lahore and other parts of Punjab has been deliberately intensified by officials still aligned to the outgoing PML-Q government and reports that attempts are on to cover up massive corruption in the Punjab Education Department by hastily distributing thousands of textbooks but claiming receipts for many more than have actually been given out, are still more disquieting. In this regard it is unfortunate the formation of the PML-N led government in Punjab has been delayed so long. In Sindh, news reports suggesting the person who attacked former chief minister Ghulam Arbab Rahim with a shoe inside, and later outside the assembly, was affiliated with the venomous former chief executive have stirred up all kinds of doubts and misgivings.
To some extent, speculation of one kind or the other in the media and elsewhere is unavoidable. The difference in the stance between the PPP and the PML-N on the issue of the judges has been evident since well before February 18. The same is the case regarding policy on the US, with the PML-N adopting a markedly more belligerent attitude. But, despite this, the suspicion lurks that a deliberate effort is being made to create mischief -- and that were it possible to trace back the origins of some of these stories the trail would end somewhere within the corridors of the presidency.
The same holds true of some of the pessimistic forecasts being made regarding the future of the coalition. Whereas cynicism is always tempting, there is a desperate need too to allow the government which represents the people of Pakistan a fair opportunity to deliver on what they have promised.
It is easy to blame journalists for engaging in conjecture or basing stories on half truths. Indeed, they must bear some of the burden of guilt. Professionals everywhere are aware of attempts to feed certain versions of events to the media industry -- with its insatiable thirst for news. The talk in newspaper offices is that such efforts to slip in specific stories are currently dominant. This means that everyone engaged in the process of bringing an item of news from its source to its audience needs to exercise extra caution at all stages.
But, the new information managers must also consider how this phenomenon has come about. The fact is that reporters are immensely dependant on sources because of the restraints that exist on their access to almost any kind of official information. The denial of the right to information -- with curbs having in fact increased under the inappropriately named Freedom to Information Ordinance of 2002 -- mean that most in the business of gathering news must depend on individuals offering it to them in one form or the other. This creates a situation where there is an immense vulnerability to distorted or 'planted' news, used to further specific interests.
Various elements in the country, particularly those within the establishment, have become adept at exploiting this channel at key moments. Even a cursory study of newspaper editions published in the runup to the fall of four democratically elected governments from 1988 to 1999 show the extent to which this holds true, with a series of 'leaked' stories playing a part in the discrediting of governments.
The dishonest and unwise actions of governments, most often focused only on protecting their own self-interests, of course made this task all the easier for those who have traditionally 'managed' power in the country and thwarted democratic endeavours. Such managers are active once more today.
The political leaders of the country, who have so far displayed statesmanship and a new sense of purpose that seems to have taken root as a consequence of a long period of combating ruthless repression by a dictator, need to take steps to guard against the possible harm a sustained campaign of misinformation can inflict.
The decision, already announced by the PPP, to withdraw various 'black laws' against the Press and introduce a new, more meaningful law to grant citizens the right to information, is welcome. It is only when there is greater ability to reliably know what takes place in government offices that it becomes possible to properly verify what is published and avoid manipulation by various elements. Such manipulation occurs not only at the top echelons of power, but also at far lower levels, within the bureaucracy, the police and other government departments. The fact that powerful political forces, most notably those based in the Punjab, have literally recruited small armies of journalists, adds to the complications and makes it essential for media bodies to consider how they can enforce a viable code of ethics.
But, even in the far shorter run, political parties need to consider strategy. It is encouraging that these parties are today a stronger force that ever before, with loyalists who largely resisted the immense pressure exerted throughout the years from 1999 to 2007 to switch sides, today largely holding key positions. To ensure such unity endures the strains of power as it has the trials of opposition, the parties need to speak with one voice. A single spokesperson, or indeed several spokespersons should alone represent the public face of the party -- and ideally the government. Other ministers, advisors and leaders should be asked to avoid issuing statements or speaking to the media.
The desire for publicity and an appearance on television screens, for the sake of longer term good, needs to be reined in and restraint exercised. Briefings by various key ministries at weekly, fortnightly or monthly intervals can play a part in ensuring information continues to flow. Most crucial of all is the need for the new coalition and its diverse members to prove that they are willing to stand firm on the tryst they have made with people. If they remain steadfast in their promise to grant these people a future that offers hope and a change in lives, and are not lured away from this route by the ruses of a presidency that now has almost nothing to offer, no amount of gamesmanship from behind the scene will alter the broader picture. Indeed, in time, the president -- already isolated with the exception of his friends in distant Washington -- will have to give way to the forces of democracy and the increasingly desperate efforts currently on to subvert the will of the people will come to an end.
Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com