Punjab

Resolution passed against media in PA over fake degrees

A resolution has been passed in the Punjab Assembly against the media concerning its coverage of the fake degrees issue.

Express July 09, 2010

A resolution has been passed in the Punjab Assembly (PA) against the media concerning its coverage of the fake degrees issue.

PML-N MPA Sanaullah Masti Khel presented the resolution against the media. The resolution blames the media for playing a negative role in the democratic process and of adopting a condescending stance towards women assembly members.

Angered, journalists boycotted the assembly proceedings and staged a walk out from the press gallery. They burnt copies of the resolution and blocked the Chief Minister’s vehicle. The journalists said they will continue their protest till the resolution is withdrawn. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ) has announced a countrywide protest on Saturday.

In earlier proceedings, members of the Punjab Assembly had raised a hue and cry over reporting on the fake degrees issue and accused the media of tarnishing the image of innocent politicians.

COMMENTS (19)

Sajjad RAWN | 14 years ago | Reply Media's response to the PA resolution is very negative. PA members have the right to express their opinion on every forum and specialy on floor of the house. Resolution has shown the media their real face they (media)should tolerate it. My fellow readers (Waqas Ahmad, Irfan Ahmad and Pakistani Aloo) seems to be well educated but their abusive language depicts their own personality. They should think about it.

Dr. Adnan | 14 years ago | Reply now after this whole crap I am thinking that the democracy should be abandoned and communism should be established ...I am tired of these .... China will ya help us again ?

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Asif Ahmad | 14 years ago | Reply The media seems to be over reacting to the passage of the said resolution. They should know that resolutions by Assemblies have no importance these days. As is the right of the media to point out wrong doings of the legislators, so is it their right to pass a resolution against it. It is upto the people to adjudge who is right and who is wrong. The people of Pakistan are on the side of the media, but it should not behave like a pack of wolves attacking those few criticising it, otherwise they would loose sympathies for being bullies.

Dr. Altaf ul Hassan | 14 years ago | Reply I feel media is over reacting on passing a resolution by the Punjab Assembly who has done nothing wrong beyond its defined constitutional role by adopting this motion.It is the routine parliamentary practice which has been exercised but claiming itself the biggest champion of parliamentary democracy,our media is in a state of denial to accept the constitutional role of elected members of assemblies to propose and adopt any motion which the house allows.I feel this is due to an overall state of intolerance prevailed in our society.Is media a sacred cow? It is a common place observation that media is overstepping its jurisdiction by involving itself in character assassination of elected representatives of people of Pakistan without knowing that they are making mockery of the collective wisdom of those who have elected them in th election.One should know that excess of every thing is bad.It is the people of Pakistan to whom these elected members are accountable and they are to decide if their elected members are doing right or wrong by electing or rejecting them in the forthcoming election.

Riaz | 14 years ago | Reply First of all there are two issues to discuss here. Firstly the current political anarchy of country and role of media. Pakistan is going through its disastrous and apocalaptic situation since its inception and what our selected representatives are doing and media as well. Whole country is on fire and they are doing a heinous job by allegations and counter-allegaions. Should they be spare for what they are doing? No, not at all, because they should be punished for there fraud, malicious acts, corruption etc. Role of media....! Being a media person i would like to argue that solely and wholly the polititions shouldn't be brought to the binoculor of public but also Army, bureaucracy, feudal lords, capitalists and other mafias, which are also contrubuting to bring the country to dogs, viewing the morals and values and not like San-Shob issue.

Ghausia | 14 years ago | Reply I'd like to comment on this, but I'm consumed by hysterical laughter at the 'innocent politicians' part. To all the people who think that the media is tarnishing the images of politicians and derailing the system; What democracy? What system? What image?! Nothing the media has done is bad. Our media takes journalism to extremes sometimes, yes, gets unethical sometimes, yes, but its more of a blessing for us because its unveiling the corruption in our society and our government. The government is panicking because our media refuses to let go of this issue.

Arfan Alam | 14 years ago | Reply Desert embodied with sands thats truth.Be humbled we need to sort sands for clean desert.That may be positive toward survive so don't let it be political issue,If competent degree holders in Pakistan are fruitless, why you afraid of degree inspection of parliamentarians. Wow some think better then nothing. Good luck Pakistan

MNT | 14 years ago | Reply One thing is clear that no one will support holders of fake degrees, but I am sorry to say here that we must give due respect to our political leadership who has great contribution to our nation. I myself belong to a media group, and it is my personal experience that some media groups especially electronic media is exaggerating the issue of fake degrees. The media has no right to support hidden faces behind current degrees issue. We know in the media that who is supporting some media organizations (who have news channels and newspapers in their groups) and bribing the anchorocracy (anchor persons) to prove that the political leadership is completely fail to deliver. We can also support this comment that the degree issue is overlapping all other issues especially what is happening in the Indian Occupied Jammu Kashmir. How brutal Indian armed forces killing and injuring innocent Kashmiris, and how Kashmiri media is blocked. The question is this that is our media giving proper coverage to media ban in the occupied state? I will request to anchor persons and planners of news channels that they must stop campaign against lawmakers, democracy and (behind the scene efforts against) our country. I don’t care what others say but this degree issue is a clear conspiracy against democracy and democratic institutions, and the media is playing role of the agent for the behind the scene characters as well as for hidden faces.

Ammad | 14 years ago | Reply @Ben, hahaha, having a fake degree is committing fraud and a criminal act. If fake degree holders should not be penalized then why keep rules for punishing thieves for thefts.

Pakistani Aloo | 14 years ago | Reply A politician in the Punjab assembly, accused of holding a fake degree, addressed the house in quite a rage: "Pakistan ko 3 J's ne kharab kya hai. Jernaayls, Judiciary aur Journalists!". Were he educated, would have known that Generals is spelled with a 'G'. @Ben: The media should be as brutally honest about the fake degrees of these corrupt scoundrels and be absolutely ruthless in bringing them down. The media has every right to question the moral integrity of the MPs.

Aziz | 14 years ago | Reply well, when we re-elect people like Jamshed Dasti back to the National Assembly after it was proven that he had a fake degree, i think we are as much to blame sd anybody else. who are these politicians and where have they come from? i bet all those who have been awarded tickets after their fake degrees will be re-elected by our people who will go out and vote in huge numbers. So who is to blame??? No one but us. These MNAs and MPAs are just a reflection of what we as a society have become. It is time for us to change before expecting others to do that for us.

Saif | 14 years ago | Reply innocent politicians .. hehe!

humayunm | 14 years ago | Reply "accused the media of tarnishing the image of innocent politicians." << INNOCENT POLITICIANS? hello? The media should keep "tarnishing" the beautiful image of each and every politician and MPA who holds a fake degree. The media is not playing a "negative" role in the democratic process, in fact its doing exactly what it should be by raising awareness about the illiterate liars who are sitting in our assemblies and parliaments with fake degrees.

Fardad Ali Shah | 14 years ago | Reply Any attempt by TV channels to degrade the personal character of women MPs is cheap and should be stopped. As far as exposing misdoings of MPs is concerned it is a big service of the media to the nation. Had it not been for the media and the judiciary, Elected reps would have looted the land with both hands. Didn't one MP say on TV that it was their right to indulge in corruption !! If such is the state of the character of elected representatives (in fact the whole nation), it is only imperative to have an effective watch dog over them. Well done media, keep up the good work.

Zulfikar | 14 years ago | Reply Shame on you democracy, none of of our semi-literate parlaimentrains has had the decency to admit their mistakes, shame on you. It is a 'literacy treason'. Amid all this rhetoric of claiming to be the only nuclear power in the Muslim world is nothing more than slogan mongering which sounds stupid. Billions of rupees are being spent on lavish lifestyle and self-projection of these illiterate legislators at the expense of hard-hit taxpayers' money, the media should not come under any pressure, all the nation is with media to nab them, keep up the good work!

M.Atif | 14 years ago | Reply I myself belong to a Media Group, but I feel media is exaggerating this issue. I am not supporting Fake degree holders but Media should behave responsibly because they are naming those persons who are not fake degree holders secondly this issue is over lapping everything else like how many people have been died in Indian held Kashmir within last few days there is curfew in the valley army is there newspapers are not being published did our media give proper coverage to this issue also on contrary how much space and intention is being given to fake degree holders

Irfan Ahmed | 14 years ago | Reply These idiots want respect for their frauds, Media should keep exposing these scoundrel, one day our nation will realize the mistakes and than these thugs will not reach the assemblies. I feel media is really helping to bring the real democracy in this country.

Ben | 14 years ago | Reply Media has no right to question the moral integrity of MPs. This is a conspiracy against democracy. It is to derail the system. Media is the agent of establishment. They want extra-constitutional forces to jump in. What if a politician forged a degree and tried to prove himself or herself literate enough to decide your and my fate.....Between you and me, if this the democracy, we were better off with dictatorship. All the Assembles are under 19 teams of immature people.

Waqas Ahmad | 14 years ago | Reply The MAN and MPA of outrcountry first of all, look into their pwersonalities before blaming anybody. They are all hre for nothing except seep our blood. I must say these devils should handed to the Adult school so that tabn actually understand what is the meaning of a leader or a representative of the people.

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