Arnab this

What ensued in Arnab-Kaira show was predictable. Accusations, general rudeness from Goswami made Kaira stage a walkout


Kamal Siddiqi September 28, 2014

What makes Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami tick? His “Newshour” programme that runs on prime time portrays him as some sort of inquisitor. On many occasions, the inquisition is directed at Pakistan and Pakistanis in the most derisive way possible.

No effort is spared to ridicule, criticize or berate Pakistan and its government. Goswami never lets journalism or ethics get in the way.

It is no surprise that the programme enjoys very good ratings and its host is loved and admired by many. One can think of a similar host and programme on this side of the border as well. Hate gets ratings.

What came as a surprise was that of all the people who decided to attend this hate-fest was none other than PPP spokesperson Qamar Zaman Kaira. If nothing else, Kaira could have asked someone in the media whether this was a good idea.

After all, there are several other Indian channels that one can be interviewed. The hosts may ask difficult questions but at the end of the day are courteous and as ethical as South Asian channels can be.

What ensued in the Arnab-Kaira show was predictable. Accusations and general rudeness from Goswami made Kaira stage a walkout. But this wasn’t the parliament. It was a TV show.

And Kaira did exactly what Goswami wanted. Ratings soared. Once again it was seen that the Pakistanis had no answers to the “hard hitting” TV host from India.

My sympathies for Kaira sahib. I think the former information minister is one of our better politicians. I remember once he apologised to me at the Karachi Press Club when his official vehicle was blocking the access to the parking lot. Unlike his provincial government counterpart who wanted to trash me for daring to challenge what he saw as his prerogative, Kaira sahib actually said sorry. His middle class background makes him dear to us.

In other ways, however, Kaira sahab is not an exception. One cannot fully understand the obsession of Pakistani politicians and others to appear on international TV shows no matter what the situation or how dubious the channel.

Who can forget the Hard Talk interview of Sartaj Aziz, then foreign minister, after the Kargil debacle. Sartaj Aziz blundered and eventually became incoherent because he had no sensible answer for what had happened.

The interviewer, Tim Sebastian, who I met in London this year, won an award for that show. I reminded Mr Sebastian about the interview. He just smiled. Unlike Goswami, Tim Sebastian did not have to resort to cheap tactics. Sartaj Aziz’s over-eagerness to appear on BBC was enough to embarrass us as a nation.

Our PM is no exception. He has no time for any journalist he sees as intelligent. Around him gather his fawning scribes who paint him into a glorious leader “worried to death about the future of Pakistan.” One possible exception is that he also loves to give interviews to Indian journalists, especially those who speak Punjabi. Maybe it’s time I started learning Punjabi too.

While denying interviews to local media houses with the possible exception of one, he recently granted an interview to Barkha Dutt, a popular anchor who made her mark during the Kargil crisis. She is the same journalist in front of who Sharif once called Manmohan Singh a “dehati.” So much honesty, but at what price.

And yet Indian journalists will tell you that in their country the pecking order for meeting high officials is exactly the opposite. The Indian PM rarely has time for foreign journalists. In almost all instances, successive Indian PMs have only spoken to local journalists. Maybe our politicians are afraid of the embarrassing questions they may be asked by one of their own. I wonder why the Indian PM doesn’t have that fear.

At home, this fawning of our PM is done at taxpayer expense. Last year, when the PM came to Karachi, he indicated his desire to meet local journalists. At the same time, the press information department flew in 40 journalists from Lahore and Islamabad. In the mela, no one from Sindh had a say. Its time for the PM to stop listening to what he wants. And for a media policy where only the designated spokesman speaks and the rest keep quiet. Right now it’s exactly the opposite.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2014.

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COMMENTS (45)

AVPMPolpot | 9 years ago | Reply

In Defense of Arnab Ji +++++++++++++++++++++++ For all his faults Arnab has a lot of strengths as well. Watch him cross examine a corrupt or dishonest person.He conducted an interview of Rahul Gandhi ( available on You Tube) that must have substantially contributed to the defeat of Congress in the recent elections. Recently Air India ( loss making counterpart of PIA in India) was caught hosting a large party for its employees.Arnab not only exposed the wastage of tax payer money but also reduced the Air India representative to tears.

Kamran | 9 years ago | Reply

Good to see our friends from India condemning the unprofessional attitude of their own media personality. This shows that there are fair people on both sides of the border who are willing to accept their mistakes - which is the foundation for a great future.

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