The secret funds maintained by the information ministry have been controversial for a very long time. DESIGN: SUNARA NIZAMI
Taking up this matter, the Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the information ministry to state how this public money is used. The argument from the counsel for the ministry claimed privilege on 155 of the 372 items under various heads. This strange argument has not been accepted by the Court, which has pointed out that vast sums of money have been paid out to individual journalists and that taxpayers’ money has been used without audit. Secrets agencies have also admitted to paying the media. Other departments, too, hold secret funds, with the SC bench pointing out that 27 departments it had asked to provide details early this year had failed to do so.
The situation is a shocking one. It is quite obvious that the secret funds are used for malafide purposes. The bribery of media persons raises all kinds of questions and obviously places their integrity under great doubt. The question arises of how we can believe reporters or anchorpersons who may have been paid to adopt a certain line or pursue a particular story. The secret funds maintained by the information ministry have been controversial for a very long time. Indeed, even the ministry itself is controversial. People have asked why we need a set-up to control the flow of information. Many nations have no such department with spokespersons providing statements when required. Now that the matter has been taken up by the Supreme Court, we need to get to the bottom of the matter, avoid victimising any particular media group but ensure that the media can be cleaned up and made a more reliable body with media houses and professionals themselves playing a role in making sure this happens.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2013.
COMMENTS (4)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714024018-0/ModiLara-(1)1714024018-0-270x192.webp)
An investigation into the acquisition of assets and expensive cars during past six months by few obvious and more dangerously not so obvious rotten eggs within the media will shock people, how those who plundered billions, now are spending few of these billions for an organised disinformation and spin doctoring campaign. It is for men like Ziauddin to take the lead and help others like Absar Alam to expose these rental journalists who are abusing the so called free print and electronic campaign to distort facts, and launch campaigns against few daring honest within our society, including the judiciary, to challenge this organised powerful nexus of corrupt bureaucrats, land mafia and opportunist political elite to rob this country, bleed its resources and then flee with the loot to foreign nations, whose residential status they already have acquired.
Pakistan is a country where everything is secret and confidential. Too many secrets and too much money required to fruitlessly guard those secrets.
Very true "People have asked why we need a set-up to control the flow of information. Many nations have no such department" The irony is not only does the govt have such department even our army has ISPR for PR which is unique to say the least. Many media people are living large and beyond their means and nobody asks them about that. In fact many of them act as blackmailers. It is about time they should be controlled.
Better would have been by citing some concrete examples. True it is "ISS HAMMAM MAIN SUB NANGAY HAIN" including media. BTW how much ET or its writers get?