Exciting news from Adil Najam, Vice Chancellor of LUMS – for those who don’t know him, Dr. Adil Najam was the Frederick S. Pardee Professor of Global Public Policy at Boston University and served as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), work for which the IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along [...]

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The Citizens for Free and Responsible Media, Pakistan, has sent an email to the Editors of The News and Jang regarding an unethical, false and irresponsible report about Ali Dayan’s testimony before the US congressional hearing on Balochistan, in response to a private member’s proposed resolution in the House of Representatives. Text of the email posted in a Note in the [...]

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Kamran Shahid of Express TV sent the following email to Citizens for Free and Responsible Media in response to CFRM’s letter on the Pakistani media and Balochistan that was also emailed to him. Both are posted on the CFRM facebook page. I do wonder what about the letter he found “factually incorrect and harassing” and on what [...]

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Tuesday February 21, 2012:  Citizens for Free and Responsible Media statement on the Media and Balochistan To: All TV channel heads, producers and directors, newspaper editors, DG PEMRA, Minister of Information, Prime Minister Pakistan Summary: 1. We urge the Government to facilitate dialogue by lifting curbs on the media in Balochistan. 2. We call upon the [...]

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Time for the Karachi Literature Festival again, for the third year running. Once more, it promises to be an exciting event, a real silver lining for the city. See updated programme at the KLF website. Here’s a preview by novelist Bina Shah – read it and salivate if you can’t attend. Video and photos from previous years are [...]

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Pakistan needs rule of law and de-politicisation of police. Those engaging criminal offences like hate speech, threats and incitement to violence, and vigilante violence must be charged, tried, prosecuted, and punished. We will not allow people in public office or public positions, like political parties and traders’ unions to go around supporting hate-campaigns and violence. [...]

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 Summary of media consumer activism in Pakistan from Citizens for Free and Responsible Media, Pakistan, Saturday February 4, 2012: We are a group of activists, academics, lawyers and journalists, citizens from all walks of life — essentially media consumers serving as an independent platform to voice public concern and through people powered reform, ensure that freedom [...]

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Maya Khan: fired for refusing to tender an unconditional apology From: Dr Kamran Iqbal (cc’d to signatories below) Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 To: Zafar Siddiqi Dear Mr Siddiqi, Thank you for your prompt and courageous response. We appreciate the moral courage of SAMAA TV’s stance. We hope you will continue to lead by example [...]

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Maya Khan: fired for refusing to tender an unconditional apology Following the citizens’ campaign expressing outrage at a Samaa TV morning show’s intrusive and unethical programming, and the host  Maya Khan’s refusal to apologise unconditionally, the channel is taking her show off the air and terminating her contract. BELOW: CEO Samaa TV Zafar Siddiqi’s letter [...]

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Maya Khan's 'not apology' Sent Jan 27 21012 by the undersigned, in response to his email (below) Dear Mr. Siddiqi, We deeply appreciate your prompt reply and assurance that the kind of show broadcast on January 17th, 2012, ‘Subh Sawerey Maya Ke Saath’ on SAMAA TV will not take place again. We also appreciate your [...]

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Maya Khan's 'not apology' So after all the public pressure, Samaa TV apologises, says the programme that was broadcast (moral policing, intrusion of privacy) does not reflect their policy, and that it won’t happen again. The anchor says that the programme host Maya Khan has also apologised – but the apology we are then shown [...]

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A morning show broadcast in Pakistan on Jan 17, 2012, on Samaa, a Pakistani television channel, has catalysed what could well be the beginning of a media consumer rights movement. In the show, Subah Saverey Maya kay Sath (Early Morning with Maya), the host Maya Khan, charges through a public park looking for dating couples [...]

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I. A. Rehman, Director HRCP: National Dialogue on Challenges to Democracy and Role of Civil Society in Pakistan Joint Declaration: Any attempts to dislodge parliament will be resisted LAHORE, January 23, 2012: Civil society representative  and concerned  citizens (Intellectuals, legal activists, journalists, women, students trade union activists, religious minorities and academia) of Pakistan from all over the [...]

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Anguish and anger. Yet another journalist in Pakistan, Mukarram Khan Atif of Mohmand Agency, shot dead in cold-blood. The Taliban have claimed responsibility. They are out to eliminate our best, our brightest and our bravest. They will not succeed. Read Tazeen on how Atif helped her look “beyond the stereotype of a stern and unyielding tribesman with [...]

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