Even laudable promise of PPP leader to combat religious extremism is over-shadowed by his extremism of language, tone.
KARACHI: This is to register a strong protest against the undue, inappropriate prominence given by your esteemed newspaper by placing Bilawal Bhutto’s bromides against other political leaders in a five-column headline on the front page on October 19, 2013 while relegating the tragic and significant news of the assassination of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa’s Law Minister, Israrullah Gandapur, to the lower half of page four.
While all share in the grief felt on the anniversary of the attack on Benazir Bhutto’s rally in Karachi on October 18, 2007 (when about 150 persons were killed and whose anniversary occasioned the PPP leader’s speech), the dastardly killing of Israrullah Gandapur has several immediate ramifications for Pakistan, including the whole, flawed decision to pursue talks with terrorists. On a comparative individual level as well, the contrast is vivid. Unlike the ill-mannered outbursts of the apprentice PPP leader vilifying senior political leaders, the deceased law minister was highly respected for his quiet, balanced and civilised utterances and conduct. Even the laudable promise of the PPP leader to combat religious extremism is over-shadowed by his own extremism of language and tone. By giving excessive prominence to such rashness, a newspaper and the media in general also strengthen the negative facets of dynastic control of political parties.
Javed Jabbar
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2013.
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