Pak media shows tepid interest in talks

IN Media Practice | 29/12/2004

Muhammad Najeeb

Indo-Asian News Service 

Islamabad, Dec 28 (IANS) The India-Pakistan secretary-level dialogue, with its novelty having worn off, seems to have been relegated to the backburner of media importance here with the killer tsunami and pension for senior citizens getting more prominence and space.

None of the newspapers or television channels in Pakistan gave the secretary-level talks as a lead story. Most TV channels and newspapers gave it fourth or fifth priority in their main news.

The huge death toll in Sunday`s tsunamis may be one of the reasons but even the increase in the pension of senior citizens was given priority over the talks that started on Monday in Islamabad.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Khokhar discussed confidence-building measures (CBMs) to enhance peace and security between their countries and they are taking up the complex Kashmir dispute Tuesday.

None of the major English-language newspapers - Dawn, The News or the Nation - gave any photograph of the talks on their front pages and did with just one photo of the two shaking hands on the national pages.

The treatment of the talks was comparatively better in the Urdu newspapers. Most of these gave pictures on the front pages and there were more than two reports about the talks in most of them.

This is the first time since Pakistan and India resumed talks that only a handful of Indian journalists have come to cover them. In all previous talks more than 100 Indian mediapersons were there from both sides.

Even in the briefing by Pakistan`s official spokesman Masood Khan the number of reporters was not more than that at routine weekly briefings.

"Well, things are changing and interestingly we are not being chased this time by the (Pakistani) intelligence people," commented an Indian journalist. He said, "we knew earlier what will happen in the talks...there is absolutely nothing new in it."

No unusual security was seen in the federal capital and around Serena Hotel where Saran with his wife and son are staying. The family on Sunday went to Peshawar to meet Awami National Party leader Abdul Wali Khan and son Asfandyar.

Indo-Asian News Service

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