Why was Noor dim in the Pakistani press?

BY Ammara Durrani| IN Media Practice | 13/08/2003

amongst the 27, who boarded the bus that day.

Strangely, one did not come across a story on Noor in the subsequent days from the Pakistani journalists who had boarded the bus for the journey`s coverage. The only exception was a story filed by Ahmad Waleed from New Delhi for The News on Sunday, which took her into account. It quoted former Indian premier I. K. Gujral as saying, "Noor can build bridges between the two hostile nations."

Until the bus`s departure, however, the contextual focus of our press remained parochial: Indo-Pak ties and political significance of the resumption of the bus service.

It was only when wire reports and photos, mostly of Agence France Presse (AFP), started pouring in on Noor`s hospitalisation and successful surgery-not to mention, the unusual reaction of the Indian media, public and local government--that our news editors took notice of the `little miracle`, and faithfully started putting the news in their broadsheets. Once the word got out on the `Bus Baby`, reaction from Pakistani public as well as writers trickled in. It took the form of letters to editors, opinion articles and an odd fictional rendition or two in the local papers, both English and Urdu.

Letters and opinions were full of praise and prayers for Noor`s courageous journey to attain a healthy heart, and create a new legacy of peace in her tread. The public, however, was quick to point the lack of enthusiasm in the national press. "(Noor) did not get as much attention from the Pakistani media," said one reader in his letter to Dawn. "The news was either missing or very briefly and casually stated in the papers."

But if Pakistani journalists lagged behind their Indian counterparts in  creating Noor-related

 hype, commentators and opinion writers managed to make up for their oversight. During the 20 days of Noor`s stay in Bangalore, almost all major newspapers of the country carried articles on their leader pages from writers who extolled the little girl`s life as a beacon of hope for the conflict-ridden region.

"It is not just Noor Fatima," wrote celebrated Pakistani writer Munnoo Bhai in The Daily Times of July 20th. "The two great Asian neighbours are also  suffering from leaks in the heart caused by their ruling classes."

"I have no doubt that this gesture would be reciprocated at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, if someone came from India," wrote Shafqat Mahmood in The News International of July 18th, referring to Noor`s free-of-cost treatment in India.

Writers of even the Urdu press--usually considered hawkish and hostile to India--freely wrote of the positive connotations of Noor`s case. "Thank God, that the ruling elite of Pakistan and India finally thought about children," wrote Abbas Mekri in the daily Jang of July 27th. "Better late than never, at least the two countries` establishments have come to realise children; children are children, irrespective of which nation they belong to." (Translated by this scribe from original Urdu text as quoted in the paper.)

A sobering news item, however, put a small dent in the press` euphoric bubble cast around Noor. In its July 31st-August 6th edition, the Weekly Independent reported the case of a 13-year-old Pakistani boy, Munir, who strayed into Indian territory on June 26th; was picked up by the Indian Border Security Force; and since then has been languishing in a Rajasthan prison. Interestingly, the paper took Noor`s good fortune as its point of reference to the sheer contrast apparent in Munir`s story.

Pakistan`s Internet news portals are largely owned by the country`s daily papers, such as Dawn, The News, The Nation, The Daily Times, Jang, etc. Hence, most Internet activity pertaining to Noor was limited to a reproduction of newspaper reports, not only on their own respective websites, but also on those hosted by other Pakistani companies.

To this, one must add the fact that Pakistan has a much smaller number of national and local news and views websites, compared to India. Nevertheless, Noor featured on most of them in some capacity. On August 1st, a reader of the much-respected and visited Chowk.com wrote: ".It looked like (Noor) came home from the home of a close relative. Does that little girl even know that she has achieved what Pakistan`s Foreign Office has been trying to in vain for many years?"

What could be the reasons for the Pakistani`s press`s lack of interest in Noor while she was in India?

A glance at newspapers published during that period reveal that most reports were filed on other major stories doing the rounds at the time, including: Indian journalists visiting Pakistan through the Dosti Bus; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman`s visit to India; the ongoing debate between the Opposition and General Pervez Musharraf on his controversial Legal Framework Order (LFO); the Iranian Twins, Ladan and Laleh; and the monsoon rains and floods hitting various parts of the country, causing much destruction in its southern region.

Since Noor`s return, the press has not revisited her directly. While, full-length reports were filed upon her immediate return, one has not come across any follow-up story on how the little girl is doing these days.

Interestingly, though, Noor has left a lasting impact on the current press trends, particularly on stories on Indo-Pak relations and child health. Hardly is a concerned report filed without a reference to the little girl. Of particular importance is the introspection within health reporters of the local dailies who have set out to dig stories on cases such as Noor`s, and to answer such questions as why Pakistani hospitals cannot offer the same child health services as Indian hospitals.

On August 7th, Dawn reported two children undergoing successful heart surgeries in state-owned Civil Hospital Karachi. According to the report, over 25 children from all over the country inflicted with Fallot`s Tetralogy--the same illness as Noor`s--were said to be operated upon at the hospital with a survival rate of 87 per cent.

In a recent letter to Dawn with reference to Noor, Professor Nizamul Hasan of Child Aid Association, Karachi wrote: "It is a sad reflection upon our expertise in surgical field that could not progress, as well as that of nuclear science, as compared to India. Even for bone marrow transplant (BMT), a number of children used to go to Madras before the relations with India got sour.It will cost not more than the cost of three Mercedes Benz cars to start the BMT service for poor children in a public sector hospital. Their parents neither have enough money to pay for the treatment in a private institution nor go to India. The only option they have is to see their children die."

In the wake of Noor Fatima`s homecoming, Pakistani newspapers have yet to report the status of philanthropic contributions and establishment of trust funds for the country`s children with holes in their hearts.

Ammara Durrani is Assistant Editor, The News International, and Editor, Political
Economy (TNS). Contact: humanist2001@hotmail.com