TODAY’S PAPER | October 14, 2025 | EPAPER

Media bias

Letter April 02, 2016
PML-N MNA's statement about Indian spy's arrest has nothing to do with the Hindu community of Pakistan

UMERKOT: This is apropos a news item published in a leading English newspaper on March 25. The headline of the news reads, “Pakistani Hindus concerned over the arrest of an alleged Indian spy in Balochistan”. The first impression the news item gives is that the arrest of the Indian spy, Kulbushan Jadhav, irked the Hindus of Pakistan. However, after reading the actual content of the news item, it can easily be inferred that PML-N MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar had only said that the arrest of the Indian spy might derail the Pakistan-India peace process.

This has nothing to do with the Hindus of Pakistan, nor has the MNA said anything in the capacity of being the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council. The way this particular media group fabricated the headline of this news item depicts biases towards the Hindus of Pakistan. It seeks to politicise religion as a factor in patriotism and nationality. It seems either the editors are unaware of media ethics or have deliberately put in the words to create the wrong impression. Media and ethics cannot be separated from each other, for any attempt to do so, like this news item has done, would be perilous for journalism as well as for the whole nation.

Harish Chander

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2016.

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