Rising storm

The animosity and use of force against those who oppose the PTI government, and notably Prime Minister Imran Khan, appears to be gaining greater force. In the latest development Mohsin Baig, the owner of an online news agency, was arrested after the FIA raided his home in Islamabad and took him into custody – despite the fact that they had no arrest warrants. The matter arose from remarks made by Baig regarding Minister Murad Saeed on a TV show. Amidst debates on whether Baig is a journalist or not, and what transpired in the original TV show on which the complaint is based, what is significant in this is the manner in which the FIA made the arrest. This is not the way to deal with an accused – any accused, no matter the alleged transgression. The highhanded style in which the FIA and police raided Baig’s home should be condemned without reservation. Mohsin Baig was produced before an anti-terrorism court, which has handed him over for custody for three days and asked police to present details of the investigation.

The case highlights the way the FIA has been operating: swift action one day, absolutely nothing the next – apparently depending on who the complainant is. According to Geo TV, the company has lodged over 2600 complaints. Out of these, the FIA has picked out only 84 for further questioning and on none of these has action been taken. Women journalists have been filing complaints about harassment they face, but the FIA has failed to make much headway. Which is why the swift action in the Mohsin Baig case suggests to observers that the government is extremely determined to silence any critics. Baig – ironically, a former cheerleader of PM Imran Khan and his Naya Pakistan – has been divulging some uncomfortable facts regarding the ruling party and has said he had received threats before. Other journalists, it is thought, may be under threat of state action as well. This is an extremely dangerous state of affairs. During the past three years there have been numerous incidents in which journalists were abducted, attacked, beaten, and tortured. There have also been murder attempts. After each such incident there has been widespread condemnation both internationally and nationally, but the government appears to have not learnt any lessons. Then there is an ever-worsening role of online trolls who malign and use abusive language against journalists, women in particular.

If any government is able to use law-enforcement authorities to carry out its demands, regardless of the law and regardless of normal procedure, this demonstrates a state where rule of law no longer applies. The PTI and PM Imran Khan have shown a desire to still any criticism from the very start of the government’s stint in power. This tendency has grown over the years. Its continuation is dangerous for Pakistan, as is the use of federal agencies to carry out raids and arrests, without following due process, simply because the powerful remain strong in the country. The PTI – the party of ‘justice’ – seems to have little use for the term when it comes to its own behaviour and way of governance.