KARACHI:
There is an acute shortage of leaders with foresight in Pakistan. Our leaders do not see with their own eyes but lecture us on what their favorite media outlet reports. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of mature and seasoned journalists in our country too. There is no denying that our country is facing problems of grave concerns. However, our media seems completely devoid of impartial and balanced reporting.
You open one channel and it seems all hell has broken loose and the country is not likely to survive another day. On another channel, reporting might give the impression that things are going so well that Pakistan would soon become the best country in the world. Obviously, the reality is far from both extremes, but how could people glean truth from such biased reporting. The extreme positions portrayed by our media outlets are reflected in the behaviours of our political leaders as well. What neither the media nor the politicians realise is that sensationalisation and misinformation lead to extreme anxiety and paranoia in the public since people keep wondering as to what the reality might be. This phenomenon might explain the rising violence and lack of tolerance among people. Small things blow up into full-blown fights leading to violence, which at times result in the loss of property and life.
It is vital that our political leaders realise that they must tone down their extreme positions and aggression toward each other. They must come together to devise a coherent plan to tackle threats and issues faced by the country. Similarly, the media must also realise that fanning extreme views and political hatred will do no favour to our country and might result in irreparable loss. We will only see a positive change in the attitude of people when our leaders shun personal grudges and rise above petty issues to work for the betterment of the country and the media resorts to balanced positive reporting. Otherwise, it seems that we are moving rapidly toward becoming an extremely violent, intolerant, and dysfunctional society.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2021.
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