The system of lies, damn lies and propaganda started when General Ayub Khan was the first military dictator of the country. He could not tolerate any kind of comment or criticism of his handling of things. He did not want any of his decisions challenged. He thought he literally was a god and could do no wrong (just like all the military dictators who have come after him).
General Yahya Khan who took over from him was no different. ZA Bhutto a civilian prime minister, was foreign minister when General Ayub Khan’s reign of terror. Although he claimed to be a politician and ‘a man of the people’ he did whatever General Ayub Khan did – because he was a completely unprincipled man (he would never have been in General Ayub Khan’s regime). Just like General Ayub Khan he too could not tolerate any kind of criticism leave alone a free press. Only those newspapers were allowed to survive which toed the party line.
All that filled newspapers were press notifications and advices about anything which has happened. Articles and editorials had to remain extremely subdued. The people only knew what the dictators wanted them to know nothing else. Things did not change after ZA Bhutto was ousted by General Zia-ul-Haq – the media was held in a vice. There were only two sources of information both absolutely unreliable and completely undependable, they continue to be so. One being the Ministry of Information and the other was armed forces’ Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – these two made sure that either news was never published or if it was presented, it should be full of lies and distortions.
During General Zia-ul-Haq’s time there were some were newsworthy items – but the national media was not allowed to report it. There was a major gun battle Karachi between two Iranian factions – this was never reported and a week later in Karachi’s main shopping area at one time use to be the centre of the city, and is still is heavily populated, had bombs going off everywhere to this day no one knows how many people actually were killed and how many were wounded. No one still knows who was responsible - but they all suspect that the military had something to do with it.
Pakistan Television instead of reporting this major act of terrorism, devoted all its time to General Zia-ul-Haq’s appointed prime minister Junejo’s trip to Japan only a few seconds was given to this act of terrorism. As for entertainment on local TV a hack writer called Ashfaq Ahmed was turned into a regular TV playwright because he wrote the kind of stuff which General Zia-ul-Haq liked the promotion of obscurantism and mysticism - passing if off as entertainment. Shortly after General Zia-ul-Haq’s was killed in a plane crash – people felt extremely relieved that they he was no more, they were fed up of his sanctimonious, self-righteous rubbish speeches which he made day in and day out and using religion in a bid to prolong his rule.Just as General Ayub Khan had ZA Bhutto, General Zia-ul-Haq had Nawaz Sharif.
From 1990 till 1998 – ZA Bhutto’s daughter Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, were allowed to become prime minister one after another, till the military decided that it had found that right general to become the next martial law dictator – General Pervez Musharraf. He took over and formed a pseudo-civilian government after holding pseudo-elections. The existing prime minster is an appointed one like General Zia-ul-Haq had Junejo as prime minister - the pattern the military follows is always the same. The military always likes to keep the facade of civilian rule and democracy. It considers itself indispensable and wants to hold on to power for as long as the country is around. It is no secret that they have proven beyond of a shadow of a doubt they could not hold on to East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh) - although 95% of the annual budget is allocated to defence (which is an absolute waste of money because no one knows if the military is actually in a position to defend of what remains of the country) - the budget allocation leaves the absolute minimum for education, health and development.
Although the people of Pakistan are independent they are not free - everything that they hold dear can be violated, because the military wishes to be that way.
But lot had changed. The information age had started – it was a major threat to credibility of the military regime. First satellite dish antennas then cable television and the Internet. The access to information for almost every individual was at hand. This was no longer the 1960s and early 1970s anymore – people were finding out things, which the military regime did not want anyone to know. The Information Ministry was given the task of finding a way of controlling this flow of information. Even entertainment was curtailed – because Pakistan Television losing viewers in droves, no one wanted to watch the crappy Pakistan Television shows which always were very dull. Now that people had found an alternative, the Information Ministry task, was to make sure that people have access to fewer and fewer channels. The Information Minister in order to retain his position had to do what the military regime orders him to, so no matter how stupid - a subsidiary organisation of the Ministry of Information was set up called Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was set up. It was just a front of the Ministry of Information, behind it is the Information Minister who is all the time making idiotic decisions on behalf of the junta. Essentially it is a form of propaganda – promoting the idiotic policies of the existing martial law regime. In every city PEMRA is represented by a senior official of the police. Violation of privacy is the standard policy of every dictatorship, the police is empowered to do so - although it does not have the resources to combat terrorism and real crime.
Although everyone in the country knows there are perhaps hundreds of channels worth watching which are many times more entertaining. Only when the military has stopped running the affairs of the country and true freedom returns will the reign of lies, distortions and propaganda will come to an end.
But lot had changed. The information age had started – it was a major threat to credibility of the military regime. First satellite dish antennas then cable television and the Internet. The access to information for almost every individual was at hand. This was no longer the 1960s and early 1970s anymore – people were finding out things, which the military regime did not want anyone to know. The Information Ministry was given the task of finding a way of controlling this flow of information. Even entertainment was curtailed – because Pakistan Television losing viewers in droves, no one wanted to watch the crappy Pakistan Television shows which always were very dull. Now that people had found an alternative, the Information Ministry task, was to make sure that people have access to fewer and fewer channels. The Information Minister in order to retain his position had to do what the military regime orders him to, so no matter how stupid - a subsidiary organisation of the Ministry of Information was set up called Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was set up. It was just a front of the Ministry of Information, behind it is the Information Minister who is all the time making idiotic decisions on behalf of the junta. Essentially it is a form of propaganda – promoting the idiotic policies of the existing martial law regime. In every city PEMRA is represented by a senior official of the police. Violation of privacy is the standard policy of every dictatorship, the police is empowered to do so - although it does not have the resources to combat terrorism and real crime.
Although everyone in the country knows there are perhaps hundreds of channels worth watching which are many times more entertaining. Only when the military has stopped running the affairs of the country and true freedom returns will the reign of lies, distortions and propaganda will come to an end.
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