Daily Times

Sir: Apropos Farish A Noor’s article “Glocalised demonstrations” (Daily Times, November 30), we have entered an age where information cannot be fully suppressed. While Mr Noor provides examples from Malaysia and South East Asia, we have several such examples in Pakistan. Recently, following the imposition of Emergency rule on November 3, students on several campuses, led by LUMS in Lahore, held protests and demonstrations denouncing the act and called for the restoration of the constitution and the dismissed Supreme Court judges. While the entire country was suffering from a blackout of the electronic media, and no television coverage was possible, these students uploaded videos of their protests on popular websites like YouTube. While internet access within Pakistan is limited, it was still better than nothing and many citizens were kept up to date with events unfolding at campuses across Pakistan.

Major international news channels like CNN also noticed those videos and as a result, the resistance to Emergency rule in Pakistan got international publicity, which in turn helped put pressure on the government to ease restrictions on the people. This is a positive aspect of the Internet age that must be recognised and applauded.
IRFAN SUKHERA
Lahore