Not so secret fund

The election process was hardly over when we started hearing demands to abolish the Ministry of Information (MoI). A particular brand of anchors is using all available platforms to convince the PTI government that its 100 days agenda would be incomplete without targeting the MoI.

The idea of disbanding information ministry is not new. Likewise, the people floating this idea, too, are well known. Relevantly, the charge sheet against the ministry, too, is oft repeated. One that the MoI has been spreading disinformation for the last 60 years and corrupting journalists.

We had been hearing of the secret fund at the disposable of the ministry. This fund was reportedly used to corrupt journalists. The most visible misuse of the secret fund was in the form of sponsoring journalists’ visits abroad, especially those accompanying the prime minister and the president during their official visits. But what we fail to notice is that almost all influential journalists have during their career been proud guests of other governments as well.

Would it be fair and realistic to conclude that foreign governments are corrupting our journalists, writers and intellectuals? If not, then how is their funding of our trips different in nature from domestic funding? Why do the US dignitaries visiting abroad take along dedicated press corps? One may say their funding comes from the media organisations they represent. If this is true, who stops our media czars from funding their journalists’ visits abroad? Let these media houses, which are eager to see the end of the information ministry, take the initiative.

Equally misleading is the propaganda that Pakistan, perhaps, is the only country having an information ministry. The size and operations of India’s Ministry of Information can be gauged from the fact that they “have decided to set up a social media communication hub and deploy executives to monitor online content across each of India’s 716 districts.” In the US, the role of the information ministry is assigned to different media organisations. The UK has the Government Communication Network. Above all the BBC External Service, funded by the Foreign Office, is the most influential arm of public diplomacy.

In contrast, every political party in Pakistan has its own active social media cells. Media gurus advocating abolition of the information ministry are yet another form of a party media cell. But when it comes to projecting the state narrative, we are averse to existence of any set-up talking about it. Should the party politics take precedence over national interests? The answer, obviously, is, no. But practically, this no should translate into a visible form of strong national institutions. Institutions, which have been mandated under the Constitution to promote national harmony and integration, project Pakistan’s positive image abroad and counter anti-Pakistan propaganda.

The MoI has traditionally been involved in political communication and media management on behalf of the government. Its relatively lesser known contribution is in the realm of public diplomacy abroad. It interacts with foreign media to project Pakistan’s positive image and counter negative portrayal abroad. It is in this role where the ministry comes into direct conflict with some individuals or organisations thriving on foreign funding and working at cross purposes.

The PTI government has to make its own choices to implement its vision of New Pakistan. However, the role of communication system and strategies cannot be overemphasised in translating a vision into realty. Therefore, a well-trained and dedicated media team is an inseparable part of governance system anywhere in the world. It helps create better understanding and appreciation of government’s policies amongst the public. The set-up is already there. The PM needs to connect himself with this set-up which in turn would keep him connected to his own people and that of the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2018.

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