The answer to that above question is no. I watched a
PBS News hour report of the current political
situation in Pakistan and how President Musharraf not
only has declared emergency powers and emergency rule
in the country, but that in doing so he has given
himself the authority to control the country’s press.
The local TV stations have been shut down and stations
that broadcast by satellite have also been shut down.
Some press have been allowed to return to the air and
return to publication if they agreed to signing what
amounts to a loyalty oath. The oath states that they
will not be negative towards the country, towards the
government and of course towards Musharraf. A member
of the Pakistani government indicated that the press
should not be criticizing the government and President
Musharraf while it is engaged in fighting terrorism.
It made me think of the Patriot Act here in the US,
and even wondered whether or not President Bush would
like to have his own version of Emergency Rule here in
the US so that he could control negative press in the
media-especially surrounding the very unpopular Iraq
War.
For those press members in Pakistan that risk writing
negative articles against the government and
president, as well as for all citizens that have been
protesting publicly, they risk being put in prison as
a violation of emergency rule. Something that we may
take for granted in the US-freedom of speech, freedom
of the press, freedom of assembly-the first amendment
rights. Many people risk prison as well as being
beaten because of their protesting in Pakistan
It is not certain how Pakistan’s government will react
to public pressure-if pressure is in fact applied. The
US has made its dislike known to President Musharraf
but whether it will have lasting effects is not known.
President Musharraf has dissolved parliament and
states that elections will not be held until January.
This leaves him in complete control of the country
with no forum for anyone to voice their disagreement.
The US is a free country, and while President Bush
wants to export democracy to Middle-Eastern countries,
like Iraq, he needs to remember that individual
freedoms and individual rights must come with that
democracy!
Online NewsHour-Pakistani Media Faces
Constraints-November 21, 2007 | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/july-dec07/pakistan_11-21.html
Online NewsHour | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/
Thursday, November 22, 2007
