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 CFRM facebook page; also copy-pasted below. (Note: Contrary to the impression given in some sections of the media in Pakistan, the U.S. has not passed any ‘bill’ on Balochistan; even if such a bill does pass, it will have no legally binding status unless it is debated and presented for a vote in the form of a bill that would need to pass through both the lower house and the senate). 

Emailed to:
Mr Talat Aslam, Senior Editor The News
Mr Amir Zia, Editor, The News Karachi
Mr M. Malick, Editor The News Islamabad
Mr Muddassir Mirza, Editor Jang Karachi

cc:
Mr Shahrukh Hasan, Group Managing Director Jang Group
Mr Shakil-ur-Rehman, CEO Jang Group

Dear Editors

We are writing to express our dismay at the unethical and false reporting in your paper regarding the appearance of head of the local chapter of a leading international human right NGO at a US congressional hearing.

The report in The News and Jang dated Feb 21, 2012 is not the first time that this particular reporter, Mr Ahmed Noorani, has targeted Mr Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch in what appears to be a very vindictive manner.

The report of Feb 21st not only takes the highly unethical step of publishing Mr Hasan’s cell phone numbers, but is also full of falsehoods regarding Mr Hasan’s recent testimony at the U.S. Congress House of Representatives hearing on Balochistan in Washington DC.

The factual inaccuracies and outright lies of Ahmed Noorani’s opinionated ‘report’ include assertions that:

1. HRW presented a “one-sided view” on Balochistan at the hearing, that the hearing itself was “illegal”
2. Mr Hasan presented “wrong facts and figures on Balochistan” and “recently attacked Pakistan’s superior judiciary for considering a case of alleged treason”.
3. Mr Hasan “has started a full campaign to fuel more and more fire on the issue of Balochistan by holding security institutions as solely responsible for the whole crisis”
4. Mr Hasan “is narrating a one-sided story before the whole world from the platform of HRW without describing the background of the issue”
5. Mr Hasan’s HRW “reports have little mention” of “killing of settlers in Balochistan
6. Mr Hasan “used to glorify killings of Baloch people with the twist that all these were killed by security agencies.”
7. HRW is an “American” organization (it is the second largest international human rights organization headquartered in NY, with offices all over the world).

Basically the entire ‘report’ is a malicious fabrication and appears to be calling for Mr Hasan to be tried for treason. None of the statements in The News/Jang report can be corroborated by facts, which are:

1. Mr Hasan began his verbal presentation by stating that Balochistan was an internationally recognized province of Pakistan and HRW expected all constitutional protections available to Pakistani citizens and international human rights standards to apply to the people of Balochistan
2. He presented facts and figures based on extensive on the ground research in Balochistan and from Human Rights Watch’s published reports
3. He referred to Balochistan as a complex situation with multiple abusive actors – the military and intelligence agencies, Baloch nationalist groups and religious extremist groups – though he called the military the “engine of abuse”.
4. Mr Hasan categorically stated in his verbal testimony that the US is responsible for introducing the practice of widespread disappearances in Pakistan by being complicit in the disappearances of Taliban and Al Qaeda suspects after 9/11.
5. He pointed out that at least 40 per cent of Balochistan is non-Baloch, and any analysis of Balochistan must factor in this demographic reality and its implications.
6. Mr Hasan’s written testimony provided on behalf of HRW details recommendations to the US Government to approach both Pakistani authorities and the Baloch nationalists with a view to ending human rights abuses by ALL parties.
7. Mr Hasan has never “attacked” the judiciary. He in fact called for “due process” in the memogate proceedings and asked for “justice to not just be done but be seen to be done” in light of “the history of civil military relations” in Pakistan. (The News attacked him then too).

We would like to place on record our protest at this unethical and irresponsible reporting that is not only inaccurate and based on lies, but also endangers the life and safety of a Pakistani citizen.

We hope that our letter finds space in the letters column of The News and Jang, and that as responsible newspapers, The News and Jang will publish and apology and a correction.

Sincerely,

Citizens for Free and Responsible Media, Pakistan

https://www.facebook.com/C4FRM

‘Reducing the social cost of silence’

NOTE: We are including links to other information that may be useful for those who wish to understand the issue in greater detail.

This ‘report’ in The News/Jang follows days after a somewhat menacing press release from ISPR on Feb 16 reacting to Ali and HRW’s continuing insistence on the killers of Saleem Shahzad to be held accountable.  The Express Tribune condemned the ISPR statement in an editorial, making the connection with Balochistan. Blogger Sana Saleem also took this issue on in an oped in Express Tribune

A full transcript of Mr Ali Hasan’s oral testimony to the Congressional committee is at this link at the HRW website. Mr Hasan’s 20-page written submission to the congressional committee is also posted at this link on the HRW website. A PDF of the transcript of his five-minute presentation at the hearing is available here: Hasan Balochistan House Transcript

Here is a link to the video of the hearing.

Mr Ali Hasan has clearly expressed reservations about the hearing and explained why he attended in this report in Dawn and in The Examiner

Post-hearing, he explained his and HRW’s position further in this report published in Dawn

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 media in Pakistan to address the situation in Balochistan with sensitivity, empathy and fairness and to facilitate a civil discourse.
3. We demand a public apology from Kamran Shahid, the producers of Frontline, Express TV, Barrister Saif and APML and all channels to boycott Mr Saif until he apologises publicly for his remarks. We also urge the APML as a responsible political party to apologise for his excesses.
1. We call upon the Government to lift the curbs on the media in Balochistan and allow voices from the troubled province to reach other parts of the country.

Lift the ban on The Baloch Hal, an online publication that advocates dialogue and non-violent protest.
Direct the security agencies to stop preventing the circulation of the Urdu daily Tawar (headquartered in Karachi) in Balochistan, and to stop threatening journalists, news agents and newspaper sellers in Balochistan associated with the paper.

2. We urge Pakistan’s media to lay down clear guidelines to ensure civil discourse and discussion by active, informed moderation rather than passive presence. Inflaming discussions for commercial benefit or the persistence of a lazy editorial process is a disservice to viewers, the media house itself and in this case, the Baloch people and all of Pakistan.

In this regard, Express TV’s talk show “Frontline” of Feb 15th, 2012 hosted by Kamran Shahid, merits special mention for being inflammatory and unprofessional, by allowing, even encouraging, an abusive exchange to take place that was not only unbefitting to any respectable current affairs programme, but is also likely to fan the flames of conflict in Balochistan.

We unequivocally condemn the language used and the intent of one of the studio guests, Barrister Saif Ali Khan of the APML, as well as the irresponsible and unethical conduct of the host Kamran Shahid. Instead of moderating the highly charged, threatening and aggressive comments of Barrister Saif, Mr Shahid appeared to add his stamp of approval by suggesting that Mr Saif had raised some “valid” points. This is not the first time that Kamran Shahid has tried to discuss a serious and controversial issue with an approach which can be described as amateurish and ratings-driven at best, or incompetent and unprofessional at worst.

The fact that two other guests of the show, registered their protest and exited the discussion, suggests that Mr Saif’s comments cannot be explained away by the “heat of the moment” or justified in any way by the alleged “validity” of any points he raised.

We believe that the trouble was deliberately stirred by the host and producer by bringing a Musharraf supporter into direct conflict with Talal Bugti who is known to hold Gen. Musharraf responsible for the murder of his father Nawab Akbar Bugti. Mr Bugti’s remarks about Gen. Musharraf (as being ‘wajib-ul-qatl or ‘liable to be killed) cannot be condoned, but Mr Saif’s response was out of proportion to the unfortunate use of words by a bereaved and angry son.

We find it amazing that the Frontline producers allowed the abuse to continue, rather than cutting off the sound of Barrister Saif’s microphone when it became clear that he was going to continue his abuse. Producers can also direct the host to stop such a diatribe. Instead, the camera zoomed into the faces of the host and the abusive guest in order to highlight the conflict, a tactic that appears to be designed to boost “ratings”.

We believe that Express TV channel is a responsible part of Pakistan’s media landscape. Therefore, we expect the management to take due notice of this incident and initiate an impartial in-house inquiry which would hopefully culminate with a much required censure of the programme’s host.

3. (a) We demand a public, unconditional apology from Kamran Shahid, from the show’s producers, and from Express TV.
(Kamran Shahid’s apology on twitter needs to be made at the forum where the transgression happened, ie. Express TV, re: @FrontlineKamran: Dear All, particularly from Baluchistan- I extend my unconditional apology, if my show has hurt your sentiment- I never meant it this way.)

3. (b) We urge all channels to boycott Mr Saif until he apologises publicly for his remarks. We also urge the APML as a responsible political party to apologise for his excesses.

This unfortunate incident provides an opportunity not only for Express TV, but for the other channels, to develop editorial and production policies that ensure that the anchor is aware of his/her responsibility to the viewing public, and indeed the organization that he or she represents, particularly in cases where guests abuse or threaten individuals, groups or organizations.

The answer is not to stop raising the issue of Balochistan as suggested by Kamran Shahid’s tweet: “@FrontlineKamran: Regardless of any thing, the issue of Baluchistan will not be raised again from the platform of Front Line with Kamran Shahid”. On the contrary, we believe it is crucial now, more than ever, to raise the issues related to Balochistan, but in a sensitive and responsible manner.

We are sure that given the sensitivity surrounding the coverage, debate and discussion of issues related to Balochistan, you will appreciate our concern that programming about the region should not be marred by controversy at the expense of the issues at hand. This is critical if the heartbreaking words of Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani, known to be pro-Pakistan, are not to be proved true: ”Balochistan aap sey bohat dur nikal chuka hai” (Balochistan has gone very far from you), he said as he left the offending Frontline talk show of Feb 15, 2012.

Sincerely,

On behalf of Citizens for Free and Responsible Media (CFRM)

• Aamer Aziz Saiyid, Advocate, Sindh High Court
• Adnan Rehmat, Executive Director Intermedia Pakistan
• Ahmad Rafay Alam, Advocate, Lahore
• Ali Abbas, Freelance journalist and Researcher at Pak Institute for Peace Studies, Islamabad
• Ali Kazmi, Student, Islamabad
• Ali Mustafa, Journalist, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Ali Taj, Hedge Fund Manager Newport Beach California
• Ammar Yasir – Engineer, Technology Writer
• Asadullah Khan Broadcast Journalist. Pakistan
• Ateek UrRehman, Peace Activist, Karachi, Pakistan
• Dr. Awab Alvi, Dentist & Social Media Activist, Karachi
• Beena Sarwar, journalist, Cambridge MA/Karachi, Pakistan
• Farhat Rabia – Customer Care Professional /Trainer- Karachi
• Dr. Fatima Afridi, Physician, U.K.
• Hadi Hussain, Social Researcher/ Educationist/Activist, Lahore
• Hira Kamal Shah, Media person and Women Empowerment activist, Jeddah KSA
• Hussein El-Edroos Manager Business Development & Training, Islamabad
• Ibrahim Sajid Malick Technologist, blogger, New York
• Ilmana Fasih, Gynecologist, Health Activist, Blogger, Mississauga ON,
• Canada/Karachi, Pakistan
• Javed Ahmed Qazi, lawyer, columnist and anchor, Karachi
• Dr. Kamran Iqbal. Social Entrepreneur, Karachi
• Kiran Nazish, Independent Journalist, Pakistan
• Khusro Mumtaz, Banker/Columnist, Karachi
• Maheen Usmani, concerned Pakistani citizen
• Meera Ghani, concerned citizen, Pakistan
• Mehreen Kasana. Student, blogger, cultural/social commentator
• Mohsin Sayeed, journalist, Karachi
• Muhammad Aftab Alam, media lawyer, Executive Director, Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), Islamabad Pakistan
• Munnazir Aziz, Lodhran, Blogger/video producer
• Nabiha Meher Shaikh, teacher & writer, Lahore
• Nadia Fazal Jamil, Actor/Educationist/Anchor/Pakistan
• Nadir El-Edroos, Teacher & Blogger, London
• Naziha Syed Ali, Journalist, Karachi
• Nighat Dad, Lawyer, Lahore
• Noman Quadri, concerned citizen, Karachi
• Raza Bashir, Corporate Banking, Karachi
• Saba Hamid, actor, lahore
• Saadia Toor, Associate Professor, City University of New York
• Sadaf Baig, Projects Coordinator, Intermedia Pakistan
• Sahar Habib Ghazi, Journalist, USA/Pakistan
• Shah Hayat Ahmad, Insurance Broker, Karachi, Pakistan
• Susan Marie, Journalist, Radio Producer, UNV, NY
• Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi Activist, founder Pakistan Youth Alliance; Islamabad/Lahore

 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 and responsibility prevails in the media in Pakistan.

We, as concerned media consumers, came together united in our outrage against a morning show broadcast on Jan 17, 2012, links to which began circulating on facebook on Jan 20, 2012. In the next few days our online petition received over 5,000 signatories. In addition, we emailed a copy of the petition text to Samaa TV chairperson, Zafar Siddiqi with cc’s to several signatories (Annexure 1). We attempted to call and text message him en-masse in order to draw his attention too. He replied promptly, expressing his concern and regrets and promising that the channel would apologise (Annexure 2).

The following morning, Samaa TV broadcast an unconditional apology on behalf of the channel. However, the host Maya Khan’s words did not constitute a proper apology or acknowledgement of her transgressions.

We again emailed Mr Siddiqi, thanking him for Samaa TV’s apology and requesting an unqualified apology from the host (Annexure 3). He replied shortly afterwards, assuring us that guidelines had been put in place to prevent such transgressions from being repeated. He also said that since the host Maya Khan had refused to apologise unconditionally, her services and her show were being terminated (Annexure 4).

Many people also sent sms messages to Mr Siddiqi’s cell phone and called the Samaa TV offices, in addition to complaining at Pemra’s online feedback form. According to Pemra officials, they received some 400 complaints about that particular show. In addition, there was a threat of legal action against Samaa TV and contact was also initiated with corporations to withdraw commercials from such shows (both actions were stopped after Mr Siddiqi’s second email responding positively to media consumers’ complaints, but both remain real possibilities for future campaigns).

The degree of participation shown and encouragement by media consumers led us to come together under the umbrella of ‘Citizens for Free and Responsible Media (CFRM), Pakistan‘. We function as a non-hierarchal platform with decisions taken by consensus among the core group members, with inputs from media consumers who can now join us on our facebook page. People can also point out media transgressions and give their inputs here, to do their bit to “reduce the social cost of silence”.

The non-government organizations Network for Consumer Protection, Intermedia Pakistan (both headed by senior, respected journalists), and Bytes for All support our cause and had begun work on a legal petition against Samaa TV. Following the successful outcome of our social media campaign to force Samaa TV management to address concerns around the concerned morning show, they announced on Jan 29, 2012, that they would “withhold their planned legal challenge in the Supreme Court on privacy rights around this case, since one of the desired outcomes has already been achieved.” They stated that, “as now ourselves part of the Citizens For Free and Responsible Media, be available to lend any support required in realizing the objectives of this Forum.”

So far we have adopted a multi-pronged approach: online activism, as well as direct communication with the channel or person concerned, as well as lobbying through other channels. The possibility of legal action is not ruled out, nor is the possibility of approaching corporations to ask them to re-consider advertising in shows that violate basic ethics and human dignity.

A recent case we took up involves a reality show, Thori Si Bewafai on A-Plus TV. Within hours of our having started another petition the host of the show announced that he has quit the show, that the show was based on re-enactments and that the channel had not given this disclosure as they were ethically bound to do, and as per their agreement with him. (Annexure 6) (The channel subsequently removed the offending shows from its Youtube website and also the description posted earlier on its website copy pasted here verbatim before it was removed: “It’s hidden cameras reality television series that documents people who are suspected of committing betrayal /cheating on their partners on any term unfaithful to their close relative. Investigation by the headed by the team which carry out the task of spying on the suspected individual through different means and capturing all the evidence on the camera is the primary goal later on all the footages / investigation reports disclosed to grieved party / Complainant in front of camera. At the end of the show investigation team lead the complainant to the location where he/she will catch the subject red handed”).

CFRM’s goal is not to get channels banned or to get TV hosts or journalists fired, but to encourage channels to evolve their own set of guidelines and code of ethics in conjunction with senior producers, journalists and concerned citizens, to ensure that privacy and human dignity are not violated. We urge them to make these guidelines public.

We also urge them to incorporate a channel for media consumers to approach in case of complaint or redress, and appoint internal ombudsmen for this purpose.

We also urge the industry to revise the current ratings system, and align the ‘quality of content’ with the ‘quantity of viewership.’

Citizens for Free and Responsible Media (CFRM), Pakistan

http://www.facebook.com/C4FRM

c4frmpk@gmail.com

(Click here and scroll down to access Annexures mentioned in this post)