How genuine is press freedom in Pakistan?

IN Media Freedom | 18/11/2002

Mohammad Shehzad interviews Shaheen Sehbai

Shaheen Sehbai is a bit of a legend in Pakistan for the physical intimidation he has faced in the course of his 30-year career, most of it spent at Dawn. Later, as editor of The News, he published in 2001 the first billion-rupee scam story on the Musharraf government, and the Pakistani General retaliated by blocking all advertisements and government revenues. In February 2002, The News published stories on the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl provoking the military government to declare that Sehbai was acting against Pakistan’s national interest. He rejected their charge but resigned in early March 2002, as his owners could no longer face the financial sanctions and a total blockade of government revenues.  He fled the country and settled in the United States from where, in  July 2002, he launched the Internet publication, South Asia Tribune (SAT) which promptly began to publish exposes on the Musharraf regime.  The  Pakistani government then began harassing his relatives in Pakistan. Recently it banned Pakistani publications from lifting material from South Asia Tribune or quoting from it.

Q: You could have never started South Asia Tribune (SAT) out of Pakistan. Do you agree?

Yes.

Q: Your critics, even some of your colleagues say that SAT is just promoting yellow journalism and appears to be a tabloid.

In Pakistan everything which is a little different from the traditional newspaper, is dubbed tabloid. We have serious articles, hard evidence in documented form, audio and visual segments and a section which contains gossip. So, it has variety, seriousness and hard investigative reporting. This does not fit the definition of a tabloid.

Q: Your critics also say that you are just vindictive about the government. What do you say?

I have no personal scores to settle with anyone in the government. I have been writing stories like this during the tenure of  all governments, political or military, Benazir or Nawaz Sharif. I was the first one to coin the phrase "Mr Ten Percent" for Asif Ali Zardari. I named Humayun Akhtar Khan as "Mr Dollar Khan". I have nothing personal against even Mr Zardari or Humayun Akhtar and both are good friends even now as I never asked them for any favour when they were in power and they respect me for that. My job as a journalist is to ask questions, probe behind the propaganda, look beyond the spin. That is what I am doing. All those who hated me when they were in power, respect me now, as they know I had no personal agenda then. Neither do I have one now.

Q: Who does the investigations for SAT in Pakistan?  Journalists, leaks from politicians, or what?

Since SAT started only 3-4 months back with a very limited budget, we use free lancers and contributors for our stories. Many frustrated journalists, who bring scoops for "their" newspapers and which are not used because of self-censorship, pass them on to SAT. Some even do not want any compensation. So we are providing journalists with an alternative forum to get their stories out, if they are not printed in Pakistan.

 Q: How many people have SAT employed in Pakistan? How is SAT financed? How do you expect it to be viable in the long run?

We do not have regular employees in Pakistan but we get stories from a large number of journalists and freelance writers some of whom want their bylines and some don`t. We have a technical team in Washington which runs the technical side besides 2-3 editorial people. We expect to launch a print edition of SAT soon in US which will take care of financial side. We also expect more business for SAT`s Web edition.

Q: The government of Pakistan has recently banned Pakistani publications from lifting material from your site or quoting from it. Do you think it is fair?

It is one of the most stupid actions they have taken and simply exposes their naivety and helplessness. It is bringing them due criticism and no newspaper is going to follow their "advice". Whenever any professional editor sees a breaking story with full documentation, there is no other option but to publish it in the larger public interest. So SAT stories will continue to be reprinted, no matter what threats the government may issue. Opinions in SAT are opinions and no one can stop anyone from publishing any particular viewpoint on any issue.

Q: Why is  it that the journalistic community and politicians in Pakistan are not raising the case of your harassment enthusiastically?

I think the community and politicians have done whatever they could do in the given oppressive and threatening atmosphere. Some friends have gone far out of their way to help. The Government has camouflaged the harassment under the cover of a legal case. They arrest my relatives and then judges do not sit in court to hear bail applications. One boy was in jail for 48 days. Another is behind bars for 3 weeks now, for absolutely no fault of theirs. Yet all newspapers have published stories, international organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Sans Frontieres, Human Rights Commission Pakistan and others have taken up the case. When the Parliament comes into session, more voices will be heard.

Q: Is it the first time you are being harassed in your career or you have suffered it in the past?

Harassment is nothing new for me. I was arrested by ISI in 1990. In 1991 masked men attacked my house and pulled pistols on my sons. Agencies have followed me endlessly while I was in Pakistan. A colleague once rescued me from my Islamabad home. My car was deliberately crushed by a military truck in 1994. I had to leave home for 10 days with my family in early 1995 when I received phone threats.

Q: According to Pak govt you are in self-exile. Is it true? What is your current status in the US? Have you applied for political asylum?

I have not applied for political asylum in the US but this rumour was planted by Nawaz Sharif’s information ministry in 1998 when the Sharif Government wanted to get even with me for reporting from Washington. The then information minister, now a great self-proclaimed democrat, never had the courtesy to apologize. I have legal status in US. The Pakistan Government is, as usual, as misinformed as any military government is expected to be.

Q: Could your paper be sued by government of Pakistan in the US under defamation if it published a false story?

It is for them to spend millions of dollars to find out the legal position. I follow the law wherever I live and work.

Q: Your friends like Ayaz Amir and Ardeshir Cowasjee maintain that press under General Musharraf is freer than it was during the democratically elected government. Do you agree?

I had once described these two senior colleagues as islands of freedom for show piece effect. I still maintain the  press is very carefully controlled and managed. The fear of losing revenues and ads and free junkets and newsprint quotas and access to centres of power keeps the Pakistani media barons on the right track, by and large. There are very few exceptions.

Q: Why have you labelled Ayaz Amir and Ardeshir Cowasjee as `Islands of Freedom’?

They write freely, Mr Amir being more critical of the army than Mr Cowasjee who started his column writing career after General Zia ul Haq`s horrifying experience for the press during which newsmen were even flogged, was over. Mr Amir has however inter-mingled his journalism career with political ambitions. He got elected to the provincial assembly of Punjab on a Nawaz Sharif ticket, resigned from the Assembly, began writing columns again and attacked Nawaz Sharif without fear. But again in 2002 he obtained and contested the elections for the National Assembly on a PML-N ticket. I think that when journalists demonstrate that they have political ambitions and align themselves with parties or governments which they have been attacking as an analyst, it hurts their credibility.

Q: On a scale of 1-10, how many marks would you give to General Musharraf for press freedom?

Not more than 5.

Q: Do you see yourself returning to Pakistan and start South Asia Tribune from Pakistan in the aftermath of the Election 2002?

I plan to launch a print edition of SAT first in the US/Canada, then in UK and finally in Pakistan, if the military goes away and politicians regain the power and control they have lost because of their infighting.

Q: Journalists in Pakistan have made tremendous sacrifices for freedom of press. So why do they often resort to self-censorship?

The answer to this question is the unwanted institution of owner-editors in Pakistan and lack of professional editors in almost 90 percent of the newspapers. Owners pursue their own financial, commercial and sometimes political interests as editors. Working journalists have offered tremendous sacrifices but they have traditionally enjoyed very little say in newspaper policies. So, self-censorship is because of policy constraints imposed by the owners.

Q: Do you think situation with regards to press freedom and self-censorship could improve in Pakistan once a government is sworn in?

I think the self censorship will continue as it comes more from the owners of the print media than the government which, of course, controls all the keys to allow the flow of government revenues and ads to the newspapers. The media would be a little more free to criticize the "civilian" politicians in the new government but would always keep within restraints writing about the army. Over all the situation may not change in a major way. Electronic media, controlled by the Government will continue to be used for propaganda of the new government. Action like the army did against my family, since I was outside Pakistan, may, however become less likely as the parliament and the Opposition in Parliament would be there to make a lot of noise on such issues curbing Press freedoms.

Q: How do you compare the Indian media with that of Pakistan?

The size and reach of the two is not comparable at all. India has probably the world’s largest circulated daily English newspaper, the Times of India (according to its claims). The entire circulation of all Pakistani newspapers would not match one Indian newspaper’s circulation. Influence wise, Pakistani English media does better but up to a point. Otherwise, it is considered by the establishment as a necessary nuisance. Since Indian newspapers are financially sound and not dependent on government business, and the institution of professional editors, as compared to owner-editors, is well established, there is more freedom and less of self-censorship in India, although on many foreign policy and national security issues the Indian media follows the government line. But this is so in the US as well.

(Mohammad Shehzad is an independent journalist based in Islamabad. He writes for several national and foreign publications. email: rageshri2@yahoo.com)