A ROLE MODEL ROLLS OFF: RIP MASOOD MALIK

Mahtab Bashir
Islamabad

03335363248

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

He was a man of integrity, an uncompromised journalist, a down-to-earth professional, a committed unionist, a role model in his field, a workaholic writer whose staple diet was offering prayers and recitation of Quraan, a caring husband and an illustrious father, once the head of premier state-run news agency APP, and an erudite editor of many national newspapers.

He was Masood Malik- whose’ contagious smile remained intact until he slipped into the deadly tentacles of cancer before he left this world to meet his maker on the International Human Rights Day (December 10, 2019) - just to give an intimation to his hundreds of mourning fellows, disciples and relatives that it’s not the fame but ‘the care for others’ that stays behind forever.   

 

Started his career in 1974 from a daily ‘Tameer’, Massod Malik later joined PPI, Daily Nawa-e-Waqt (Chief Reporter), Daily Express (Editor), Daily Ausaf (Managing Editor), Daily Dunya (Editor) and later in 2015 he was appointed as Managing Director (MD) of APP. Meanwhile he ran his own Daily ‘Islamabad Times’. All through his exalted career, he remained an ideological journalist and an upright officer with flawless character.   

Having luminous career spanning over 4 decades, Masood Malik belongs to that rare breed of journalists who has answered my FAQ silently, before his disappearance that “who is the role model in our whole media industry”?

On and off, I have had chit-chat with this thorough gentleman on various events informally when I was associated with Daily Times/ Pakistan Today. In 2013, I met Masood Malik officially when he joined Daily Dunya as its Resident Editor. During his stint at Dunya, I found him courteous to staff members, dedicated to organization and humble to each lower staff.

He defies the dictator President. Gen. Pervez Musharraf when his contemporaries dare not. Malik stole the limelight in Musharraf despotic era as he asked a pinching question in a Presser from the dictator which made him torrid to an extent that Malik was shown the doors from his working organization. Later his movement was restrained and put under surveillance- a brutal act whose’ impact surrounded Malik’s head and heart until he breathed his last. The Special Court after a week time of Masood Malik’s death (Dec10) awarded death-penalty to Musharraf (Dec17) in a high-treason case. 

For the last many years, I’ve been debating the difference between Urdu and English journalism and its working environment prioritizing English journalism for many reasons. However, as soon as Masood Malik appointed as Resident Editor of Daily Dunya, this debate suddenly stood nowhere as I found him a through professional, soft-spoken and friendly-natured. 

I distinctly remember the day when I filed my first exclusive story (in Urdu) about mismanagement of Quaid-i-Azam University (in 2012-13). After seven years spent in English journalism, it was a bit difficult for a rookie to compose Urdu story. However, while finishing the story I made a call to QAU vice chancellor for the version. We had a long chat on the issue but at the end VC stopped me giving his official version saying ‘This conversation is off the record’.

Now I was in a state of confusion what to do. Meanwhile, Masood Malik while hovering around in reporting room asked me ‘Han Mahtab, Aaj kia dy rahay ho’? I told him about QAU mismanagement exclusive story. He said OK, and left the spot moving to his room. Now it was not possible for me to stop the story neither to file it. I thought a bit and then started winding up the story “...While talking to this scribe, QAU VC on condition of not to be named said …”and file the story. As soon as this story reached to Malik sb, he could not stop laughing. Malik sb, later on, many a times recalled this (style of version) of story and kept on smiling.

Smile was his trademark. And I often had seen him smiling in pressure situations. On one Friday, Malik told me to join him at Preston University on a seminar on “Role of Journalism in Disaster Management’ where he was invited as a chief guest. I reached there few minutes ago before Malik concluded his lecture. He said “the floor is open for all, you may ask questions’? I raised my hand from the rare seats and promptly ask the question referring destruction of Atta Abad Lake and Raymond Davis incident (recently occurred)… Sir, as media plays a role of “watchdog” why it was unable to pass on information (of these incidents) in real-time, was that due to lack of media access, or it was controlled, or “gate-keeping theory” was applied? He smiled and agreed with me saying yes; sometime, like other factors, like the influentials’ do control the media. I promptly raised my hand again. But this time Malik smiled back and said in a low voice “Yar… tum baaki sawalat daftar pohnch ky kar laina, main bhi idhar sy sidha daftar hi jaoon ga, chalo, shabash, baki bachy bachion ko sawal karny do”. I got embarrassed but found everybody laughing in the auditorium. Later, Malik shared this incident with office colleagues and kept smiling for a long time.

Tariq Aziz, a senior journalist and one of Masood Malik’s close associate, in retrospect, says that “Malik was one of the fearless journalists who defied the oppressor of the time- Gen. (R) Pervez Musharraf. Later, Malik was tortured financially as well as mentally to an extent that he could not be able to break the shell of that trauma for the rest of his life”. Aziz continued, “Malik sb was my mentor, boss, and more than this he was like my elder brother. He taught me the methodology and techniques of journalism that one could not find in text-books. He was humble, sympathetic, chic and always in hurry to help others. May Allah give him superlative spot in heaven.”

In 2015, when Masood Malik was appointed as Managing Director (MD) of APP, I visited him frequently. In one meeting, he asked me about his assignment given to me many months ago. Few months ago Malik told me one of his relative is waiting for degree from AIOU and requested to do it. I told Malik it needs Rs. 2800/- to get the DMC. He gave me three notes of 1000. Few days after, Eid holidays started and those 3000 were consumed by me.

After resumption of office, Malik asked me laughing “Mahtab, ki kita ee meray kam da, Eid ty kha pi ty nahi gia 3000”. I smiled in response as he understood. Months later, in his office at APP, I called him to inform about the task and handing over the documents, he told me he is on way to airport for an official visit to Singapore but told to pass on those documents to Zahid Baloch.

Zahid Baloch, a young energetic journalist is another close associate of Malik. Baloch who considered Malik as his mentor was in anguish as we both reach to graveyards (H-11 and H-8) on the night of December 10. Sharing memories with Malik wrapped in trance, Baloch said “Malik sb was my mentor, my benefactor. In his last days, he used to call me and kiss my hand, I promptly ask… what’s you doing Malik sb and in reply he always said, “Thank you for your help. You are like my real sons. Thank you for everything.”

I told Baloch, I’ve been a frequent visitor of these two graveyards, not because my brother and my father is resting here but also it was Malik sb who assigned me to do write-ups for the legends who are buried here.

It was a day, when Malik as Editor of Dunya, called me in his room and said, “Yar hamary pages main koi ronak nahi hay. I want to see few of features or surveys/ write-ups on these pages. What you suggest”? In response, I told him there exists few of historical and cultural sites, we can file feature or write-up on these sites on a weekly basis- and not on daily basis, because these are not in great numbers. Malik looked upon Sami Ibrahim (who was sitting next to him and was a part of Dunya News at that time). I told Malik there are few of many legendary figures living in CDA graveyards (of H-8 and H-11), if you agree upon, I may file a write-up on each person taking pictures of grave, epitaph (Katba) and then would get the views from the relative(s) or associate(s) of the deceased. Malik nodded in affirmation and said, “OK… do it”.

From the very next day I started spending my day-time at H-8 and H-11 graveyards. Within first ten days, I filed a number of write-ups with the title “Katba Kahani” of Qudrat-ullah Shahab, Mumtaz Mufti, Altaf Gauhar, Maulana Kausar Niazi, Josh Malihabadi, Mansha Yad, Tufail Niazi, Perveen Shakir, Brig. Sadeeq Salik, Ahmed Faraz and there was never ending list….!!!  

I continued to write “Katba Kahani” for almost three and half months (on regular basis). Its feedback was immense as much as a lot of people contacted me with a request to publish ‘Katba Kahani’ associated to their deceased relative(s). Few of them came to my office with the pictures of grave and gravestone and hand-written profile, of which I never denied to file.

Fast forwarding, ultimately, a day comes that put an end to this series. After months, I went to H-8 graveyard just to say thanks to Razzaq sb (Assistant. Director, Graveyard Services). Walking on the track between the graves, all of a sudden I spotted a “Katba” bearing name of Masood Malik. My first reaction was, “it must be of that renowned ghazal singer (hum tum hon gay badal ho ga fame)”. I came closer and started reading. Paying tribute to his sentimental voice a one liner “Jo apni awaz ki ghambrita mein amr ho gia” inscribed on the epitaph was enough for confirmation.

Instead of stepping towards the office of Razzaq sb, I went to office and started writing the “Katba Kahani” of a legendary ghazal singer Masood Malik. It was published in Daily Dunya on March 13, 2013. Next morning around 7am, my cell phone bell started ringing. It was Masood Malik- my Editor’s call. As I receive the call, Malik sb first laughed and then swung to serious mood said, “Ajj kis py likh dia hay? Fajr ki namaz parhty hi mujhy calls ani start ho gai hain. Log pooch rahay han… Malik sb tusi theek ty ho? Ajj di Katba Kahani parhan dy foran bad tuwanu call kar ray an…” he kept on talking. I replied, “Oho … Malik sb.. It’s about a ghazal singer Masood Malik… who sung that “hum tum hon gay badal ho ga, and lay ga or kia zaalim, imtihan sheeshy ka….”, Malik interrupted me using Urdu, “Bus.. ab bohat ho gaya, qabaristano sy niklo, or zinda logo pay likhna shuru karo”. Before he disconnected the call, I said in a low voice hoping he would not listen my words, “Malik sb… zinda log is kabil kahan hain, kay unpy kuch likha ja saky”, but Malik understood my murmuring well and started laughing again.

Shahzad Farooqi, another senior journalist told this scribe that though he is not Malik’s contemporary, but he was blessed to spent major chunk of his life with him. “I’m still in trauma and it will take ages, perhaps never, to recover this loss. I want to write something about Masood Malik, but I am not in a state of mind to even adjoin words to do it. I’m in pain, he said. He, indeed, was from a rare breed of journalists who could not be forgotten, Farooqi maintained.    

 

Now, as I’m standing in front of his grave, shower rose-petals and offer the Fatiha, I gaze his grave. And suddenly a voice whispers with the same words- “Bus... ab bohat ho gaya, qabaristan sy niklo, or zinda logo pay likhna shuru karo”. “Malik sb… zinda log is kabil kahan hain, kay unpy kuch likha ja saky”, with the same answer, I move out the raod, leaving Masood Malik smiling again in the air of Heaven.

PAKISTAN ALL SET TO ‘ENGAGE AFRICA’

Mahtab Bashir

Islamabad

03335363248

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

With the world now crossed by a latticework of connections, the age of territorial conquest is largely over but skirmishes are not. Now, it’s an age of connectivity and those who are good in bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation are the one who follows the cliché ‘survival of the fittest’ no matter what.

With this belief and commitment, the ambassador of Pakistan to Morocco Hamid Asghar Khan said that ‘not missile-race but strengthening of economy and regional connectivity are the tools to dominate the region’.

Hamid Asghar Khan in an informal chit-chit at Islamabad Club said that China has a trade volume of US$ 150b with African. India, to whom we take on as our foe, has US$ 70b, Turkey having US$ 50b and Pakistan’s trade with African countries is merely by US$ 4.3b adding Africa will emerge as a World Big Market in 2020 and Pakistan will have to catch Africa at African Union partnership levels.

The ambassador said, he categorically told the Prime Minister that over the period of 12 years, Pakistan has not sign any agreement, treaty, deal with any African Country- that has pushed us way back.”      

In a context to a two-day Envoy’s Conference titled ‘Engage Africa’, the ambassador told this scribe that he had given a comprehensive presentation to the Prime Minister Imran Khan focusing Pakistan’s trade, economic and cultural ties with the Morocco in general and African’s countries in Particular.

On a positive vibe, the ambassador said Pakistan has decided to set-up six new diplomatic missions in African countries on an urgent basis in a bid to improve trade ties with them. “These countries include Djibouti, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana and Ivory Coast.”

Khan said besides, Pakistan will also open commercial sections in Algeria, Ethiopia, Senegal Nigeria and Kenya. He told that press attaches will be posted in seven African countries. “Next year (2020), Pakistan will organise an international investment and trade conference in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi”, he added.

The ambassador said “We are particularly interested in four areas to promote and project our foreign policy in African. They are namely, political engagement through Pakistani missions, commercial engagement through chambers and business and commerce forums, military to military cooperation and projection of soft image.

Ambassador Hamid informed that Special Assistant to PM on Information & Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has directed the PTV to provide popular TV dramas to Pakistani missions in Africa free of cost so that they could be dubbed in the local language and telecast on their TV channels.

Sports diplomacy is also part of our policy to bring Pakistan and the African nations closer, he said. “Pakistani top movie star Humayun Saeed has agreed to shoot his next movie in Morocco and Pakistani mission will extend all possible support to him in this regard,” he said.

A seasoned diplomat who joined Civil Services in 1992, Hamid Asghar Khan said an Africa task force has been formed at the Foreign Office to implement the decisions made at the recently concluded ‘Engage Africa Conference’ in Islamabad. “Africa is the second largest continent in the world, spreading over 20% of the world landmass and a collective GDP of over $2.3 trillion. It offers an import market of around $500 billion”, he said adding India has signed a number of trade agreements with African countries but we are progressing with snail-pace.

 

He said Pakistan currently has 15 resident missions in the African countries. “India will have 47 missions in Africa, Turkey has 46 out of 54 total number of countries in the continent”, he said adding these countries already has grown up trade of 70b.

During the conference, the ambassador said, diplomats discussed ways to enhance Pakistan’s diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with the continent. Several think-tanks presented their viewpoints on increasing access to African markets. At the conclusion of the conference, proposals from experts were presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Due to its rich natural resources and growing middle-class consumer market, the World Bank has predicted that most African countries will reach middle-income status by 2025. This presents a tremendous opportunity for Pakistani goods and services, Hamid Khan said.

Terming Africa a continent of the future, the ambassador said the current “age of geo-strategic connectivity” demanded of Pakistan to be part of it and address the growing traditional and non-traditional threats in domain of economy and security.

Hamid Asghar Khan said in his ‘candid and hard-hitting’ presentation, he said Prime minister was not aware of facts and figures (of trade volume) with African countries. “They (Africans) are not living in caves (as we presume), they are the emerging world economy, Morocco has signed FTA with EU, it is exporting electricity to Spain, EU considered Morocco as Prime Favoured Partner (PFP)”, he told.

He regretted that ties with African countries were not given priority in Pakistan’s external relations in the past because there was lack of innovation and creativity in running the foreign policy.

The ambassador called for appointments of cultural attachés, increasing the frequency of business interactions, high-level contacts and close people-to-people relations. “Pakistan is committed to a substantial policy on maintaining a meaningful relationship with Africa. Only through constructive engagement, we can achieve the goal of economic integration for win-win solutions”, he concluded. *

TAKING U-TURNS CAN BE DANGEROUS, MR PRIME MINISTER

Mahtab Bashir

Islamabad

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

03335363248

         PM Imran Khan’s parrot-like rhetoric ‘No NRO’ or ‘Kisi Ko Nahi Choron Ga’ yesterday and today has somehow cemented the belief about him as being ‘intoxicated’. But what about hundreds of thousands of those ‘non-intoxicated’ audience who has been clapping on his daze statement of mind (statement). (English translation of an Urdu tweet by this scribe).   

The kind of political atmosphere that has developed since PTI’s rise to prominence, not just to power, is bad for just about everything and everybody for a variety of reasons. It does nobody any favours, least of all the government itself, when the prime minister speaks in a manner that he did while inaugurating a CPEC-related motorway project (Havelian-Mansehra Section of Hazara Motorway) on Monday and Mianwali on inaugurating several mega projects on Friday.

Since the moment was about projects and roads, and especially since the Chinese ambassador was reportedly in attendance, one expected to be spared the usual “No NRO” speech that the nation is treated to every time the prime minister makes an outing. Yet not only was there a lot of “No NRO,” he also chewed into the opposition a lot more than usual. And nobody was laughing, except senior government officials eager to please the prime minister perhaps, when Imran Khan mimicked Bilawal Bhutto’s Urdu accent. Such antics hardly harm the opposition, especially when everybody is so used to hearing the same remarks over and over again. If anything, Bilawal has been enjoying a wave of social media sympathy since immediately after Imran’s speech.

The PTI and its Prime Minister is disturbed at former PM Nawaz Sharif’s departure for treatment abroad after repeated assertions by Imran Khan not to give an NRO to anyone. The self-righteous PM put the responsibility on the court and blamed the judiciary for maintaining dual standards of justice, one for the powerful and the other for the powerless. He demanded that the judiciary restore public trust in itself.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, did well to set the record straight, saying the permission to Sharif to travel abroad was given by the PTI government itself rather than any court. The PM needs to make amends for his remarks. Later, he sounded skeptical about the veracity of medical reports on the health of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, saying he was shocked to see the way the former premier ran up the stairs of the air ambulance. “After seeing him going up the plane stairs, I once again went through the medical reports that suggested he has heart problem, his kidneys are also not functioning properly and that he is a diabetic,” Khan told a gathering in his hometown.

Khan gave undertakings to alliance partners which were difficult to fulfill. Now, each one is asking for its pound of flesh. The MQM wants the fulfilment of huge financial commitments besides taking it into confidence in policymaking. The PML-Q leadership sought a humane treatment for Mr Sharif. The Chaudhries also expressed reservations about the ruling party’s performance, maintaining that if the government failed to undertake course rectification, none would be willing to become Prime Minister within a few months. The GDA complained that the PM was ignoring Sindh. The allies are reminding Khan that he is running the country with a wafer thin majority.

Distresses in the case of the PTI are coming not as single spies but in battalions. The NAB has suddenly felt the need to ensure that accountability is not seen to be one-sided and that this requires looking into the cases of leaders who had been in power for the last 12 months. The ECP, which had allowed the PTI’s foreign assets case linger on for years, has decided to hear it on day-to-day basis.

This ought to have been clear to almost anybody yet, somehow, such facts continue to dodge the prime minister as well as his many special advisors. And three, and perhaps most importantly, such rhetoric no doubt further alienates the opposition, on top of the dozens of arrests and corruption cases of course, and you don’t have to be prime minister to understand just what kind of strain that can put on the process of legislation in Parliament. So ordinary people, whose interests governments are primarily meant to serve through effective legislation, become the biggest losers.

Only very recently, the government had to withdraw as many as 11 presidential ordinances, which it muscled through the House, when the opposition threatened a no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker. How does the government expect this particular, rare example of reconciliation in the national assembly to play out now? Already PTI’s performance is not much to write home about in areas that really matter. Foreign relations stand more or less where PML-N left them, especially the matter getting Uncle Sam to resume the free aid, and the less said about the economy the better. If, somewhat correctly, the finance and foreign ministries are hamstrung because of the rot they inherited, what is the excuse about failure to legislate?

The only way for the PTI to complete its tenure is to seek the opposition’s support. The mainstream opposition wants Mr Khan not because it likes him, but because it needs him to keep the system on rails. They want electoral reforms, NAB reforms and a third tenure for an elected government leading to a smooth transition of power. For this Imran Khan will have to tone down his rhetoric, treat opposition leaders decently and develop working relations with the opposition.

Eventually, surely, the government will realise that taking the opposition along is an essential requirement of representative government. But the longer it takes, the more it will paralyse the whole system. And, as always, the common man will continue to pay the price for a direction-less government trying to find its feet.

AZADI MARCH, AILING NAWAZ SHARIF, ANCHORPERSONS, THE WORD “DEAL” & IT’S TOR’S

The Pakistani media has started mongering about the “deal” between the confined former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the PTI government amid the sudden deterioration of health of Mian Nawaz Sharif. The top notched anchors on the next day summoned by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for this “secret revelation” and later few of them were imposed penalty and few managed to escape.

 

However, let’s suppose, if the prophecy of anchorpersons sooner or later proved to be right than what would be possible TOR’S of that ‘deal’ is the prompt question that would have been divulged from media persons through their ‘sources’.   

It seems the government has realised, however late, that some of its more eager ministers went perhaps a little too far in making fun, so to speak, of Nawaz Sharif’s illness. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, especially, could have avoided the usual crude jokes, alluding to the former prime minister’s diet, etc, as he was rushed to the hospital because of a dangerously low blood platelet count. Nobody’s cracking any jokes now as the Punjab health minister confirmed that Nawaz did, indeed, suffer a “minor heart attack” two days ago and he was suffering from a disease that causes internal bleeding and diminishes platelets.

And it was largely because of the government’s non-serious attitude that rumours quickly started doing the rounds; from talk of a deal to reports of an air ambulance, fuelled and ready at Lahore airport, waiting to take the ex-PM out of the country just so the government can escape the worst of the blame if something were to happen to Sharif. The manner in which Maryam Nawaz was first denied permission to see her father in hospital, then allowed only a brief visit, could also have been handled better. Eventually Prime Minister Imran Khan himself was forced to issue a statement wishing Nawaz a speedy recovery and allowing Maryam to meet him. But he’ll understand just why PML-N, especially Nawaz Sharif, is dismissing the apparent good-will as too little too late.

Needless to say that this particular episode came at an awkward time for the government; when all its attention was turned towards garrisoning the capital in anticipation of Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s imminent siege of Islamabad. Since PML-N is a big part of the agitation, that too on Nawaz Sharif’s personal insistence (even though Shahbaz was resistant), one can be sure that Nawaz’s deteriorating health and the government’s unimpressive way of dealing with it will come up, repeatedly, during the dharna.

 

Out on bail for the time being, should his health improve, Nawaz will once again cast a long shadow on the present phase of Pakistan’s politics. PTI’s case is not helped by the economic burden its policies have placed on the common man. With wages and jobs diminishing, prices constantly rising, and little chance of relief on the horizon, the job of a united opposition in terms of whipping up public sentiment against the government is made that much easier. Now there’ll be more meat, as they say, in additional allegations of political victimisation with Nawaz naturally paraded as the principal exhibit.

Even convicted and apparently out of the picture for a long time, Nawaz Sharif has managed to out maneuver the government in more ways than one. Surely those in the power need a better understanding of dealing with political prisoners, regardless of the nature of their conviction.

Courtesy DT

DIARY OF A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Janoo is so depress, kay don’t even ask. He’s never been one of those ‘Kashmir hamara hai’ brigade like Mulloo’s husband Tony who’s always talked about it like it was a corner plot in Defence left to him by his Dada Jan. Janoo’s always said kay bhai Kashmiris have a right to decide for themselves and that they are owed a pebbly side. But I don’t think so even Janoo, who is Oxford pass as you know, imagined that BJP could behave like a qabza group and say bus it’s ours now. And for me, sub say worst, are those Indian goondas crowing kay now we can have our pick of fair fair Kashmiri girls. Could anything be more ghatiya, more chilling?

Vaisay, it’s not just Janoo who didn’t see it coming. Even our guvmunt didn’t. Or Pinky Pirni who aagay peechhay can see so much into the future. They’ve all gone into shock, like Aunty Pussy did when Jonker’s cheapster wife Miss Shumaila ran away with our family hairlooms. Only last month when Imran came back from his chukker to White House Mulloo called me up to crow on the phone like our maali’s rooster kay did I see how Imran went and conquered America? And Tony is saying kay Kashmir matter is also being sorted, Trump offered to meditate with India. So now I called her back and said, ‘If this had been Nawaz’s time and Moody had stolen Kashmir from under his nose, Imran would have been standing on a container, shouting himself horse about honour. The maulvis would’ve brought everything to a stan still. Where are the maulvis today, haan? Not ONE WORD out of them. And now that Imran’s PM himself, instead of showing eyes to Moody, what’s he doing to avenge Kashmir? He’s busy arresting Maryam Sharif and shutting up journalists! Wah bhai! What ghairat, what honour!’ She pretended she couldn’t hear me. ‘Line is very bad …’ Okay, I said, Janoo will call Tony then. ‘No, no,’ she said, ‘Tony’s gone to his lands.’ ‘I hope not the ones that Dada Jan left him?’ I replied. 

TFT 

BYE BYE PAKISTAN

MAHTAB BASHIR
mahtabbashir@gmail.com
+92 333 5363248

Islamabad

There’s an old dictum goes on like “If a Muslim and a Non-Muslim (simultaneously) enters into a deep water- the one who knows how to swim will come out as a survivor”.

The dismal start of the WC2019 campaign against minnows Windies, winning the toss against India and Australia and opted to bat first knowing well our strength is bowling, the top and middle order continuous failure, our lingering chase against Kiwis and Afghanis (till the 5oth over) that put us below the New Zealanders in NRR and last but indeed not the least prior to our final encounter against Bangladesh the skipper boasting of “We will make 500+ against Bangalis to cement our place in top 4” - knowing the fact that Pakistan has not a single slogger but surprisingly, Asif Ali who was not part of the playing 11 - was few of recipes for own disaster.  

In the matters of cricket, the Murphy’s Law always comes handy that if something unpleasant is likely to happen, it does happen. Pakistanis were relying much on the dreamy 1992 World Cup parallels, which could not become a reality even though the Green Shirt ended the trophy chase at a high note against Bangladesh. But the game is over. Despite beating Bangladesh with 94 runs in its last match, and despite having 11 points on the table, the team Pakistan could not qualify for the semifinal, given the pesky format ruling the game. It was next to impossible to pile up a huge score and then bowl out the opponents at a low score. When Pakistan posted 315-9 in the Friday match, they were to bowl out Bangladesh for just eight.

 

The weird rules aside, Pakistan, however, began the tournament at a dismal note, partly due to poor performance (against West Indies), and partly due to gods of weather (in match against Sri Lanka). The team, once outsmarted by India and Australia, however, picked up the momentum and started striking back, much to the pleasure of the gallery. The whole Pakistan started seeing parallels with the fascinating 1992 World Cup. Pakistan beat South Africa, England and New Zealand with style and smartness but the other factors, like New Zealand and England match, did not stand by us.

The tournament offers both bitter and sweet lessons to the team management to reflect over. The team selection in the pre-tournament days had many question marks. Leaving out Muhammad Amir and Wahab Riaz and including out-of-form Hassan Ali and Shoaib Malik speak volumes of the selectors’ ability to pick the best. The first five games of the tournament put up a poor captaincy, poor team management and poor performance. Despite an unforgivable onslaught against the team on social media, the team did not lose composure and soon overcame the three factors. The captain, the team and the team management, all are worthy of congratulations.

 

Since 1992, every time the world cup ends, barring 1999, we start talking of team’s rebuilding. This time, we can say that we have got a team, a real team, but it needs to be refined, groomed and trained. Starting from the team selection, we have a plenty of choice in bowlers and batsmen. The abundance of choice will create tough competition among the players to outplay each other to grab a berth in the team. Moreover, the team should be given ample chances to exhibit their talent in the international cricket. Pakistan is thankfully out of terrorism blues, so the international community must be convinced to start playing cricket in Pakistan.* 

FAKE NEWS & WAR HYSTERIA

OVER the past few weeks, the war drums have been beaten at fever pitch in South Asia.

Fortunately, although the danger of conflict has not entirely subsided, tempers have cooled considerably in the region.

This may be a good time, then, to deconstruct the build-up, climax and climbdown of the latest saga that brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war.

While much has been said about the political, military and diplomatic dimensions of the crisis, greater attention needs to be paid to the coverage of the events by the media, specifically fake news and the “currents of misinformation”, as one New York Times columnist put it, that surrounded the episode.

Propaganda, in times of both war and peace, is not new, as states have employed the media to wage psychological warfare against their opponents.

From Goebbels’ slickly packaged lies about the ‘glory’ of the Third Reich to the regular exchanges of propaganda between the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War, the modern age is one that has seen misinformation deployed with aplomb.

However, in the age of social media and citizen journalism, fake news has become a powerful and extremely dangerous tool in the hands of state and non-state actors, where misinformation and outright lies are peddled shamelessly to mislead the public.

Lynch mobs have murdered people over WhatsApp rumours while conspiracy theorists and others of their ilk have found an open field for feeding people lies through social media.

In the context of the recent Pakistan-India stand-off, the media on both sides has indulged in peddling propaganda and airing fake news.

At the outset of the crisis, India claimed killing 300 militants in the Balakot strike; as independent observers later noted, Delhi was hardly truthful in its assertions.

Moreover, armchair ‘generals’ on prime-time talk shows egged on their respective establishments towards war; the Indian media was particularly vitriolic in its shrill anti-Pakistan pronouncements.

It is important, for the sake of peace and the prevalence of truth, for saner minds in South Asia to rationally analyse the media coverage of the recent stand-off.

It should not be forgotten that the basic duty of the media remains truth telling, not leading the dance of war.

There are plenty of journalistic and social forums in South Asia that can be used to discuss how to handle such situations in future, particularly how to counter fake news — and editors can take a leading role in this.

In a region of over one billion people, and with both states possessing nuclear weapons, the stakes are simply too high to let the hawks and armchair warriors of the media play cheerleader for war.

The goal is responsible and accurate reporting, while there should be zero tolerance for fake news and conspiracy theories being trotted out on TV screens and websites in sensitive times.

Courtesy: Dawn