Daily Times

Before taking a look into Voice of America’s controversial journalistic standards; let’s enlighten the thoughts with a pertinent quote of great Noam Chomsky! He said “It is shameful moment for US media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent and aggressive state”. Bear with me for a brief premise here!

Is It possible for our state-owned media outlets PTV or Radio Pakistan to openly flout local laws in the US capital Washington DC by running unauthorized commercial activities in residential areas?

The simple answer is that such blatant disregard for the local law is not permissible in any country including the United States. Imagine the uproar in the USA if our state media houses blatantly violate local laws and promote instability by amplifying the views of terrorists and anti-state elements.

Undoubtedly, the backlash would be severe, and our state media would face shutdown and heavy fines. Globally, the promotion of anti-state elements, spreading their venomous ideologies, and fueling violent separatist tendencies are considered criminal offences. No responsible state in the world ever allows misuse of press freedom or human rights as a pretext to justify the malicious support for anti-state elements.

We need to focus on the intended objectives being pursued by the state-funded media outlet Voice of America in Pakistan. Contrary to its acclaimed global reputation, the content published on digital platforms by Voice of America is creating negative impressions and fueling public sentiments against the state of Pakistan.

Is It possible for PTV or Radio Pakistan to openly flout local laws in Washington DC by running unauthorized commercial activities in residential areas?

Adding more to the bitterness prevailing amid questionable journalism, Voice of America has established the office in a residential area of the federal capital in blatant violation of local laws. Reportedly, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) issued a legal notice to the building owner regarding this violation the previous month. Astonishingly, this violation of the law from a foreign media outlet remained unnoticed for reasons unknown. Pakistani citizens on social media have started criticizing Voice of America for questionable journalism and illegal establishment of office.

This criticism has been triggered by Voice of America’s biased reporting on the abduction and murder of a Pakistani citizen, namely Zarif Baloch. Without credible evidence and any verifiable sources, the outlet repeatedly claimed that state agencies were involved in the act of abduction.

Meaningfully, the editorial board of Voice of America is tightly glued to an objectionable policy of exaggerating the hateful rhetoric denting the state’s credibility. The government of Balochistan’s spokesperson Shahid Rind has rejected the baseless claims projected on the Voice of America platform and demanded concrete evidence substantiating the accusations.

In absolute disregard for credible journalism, media outlets have failed to provide any solid proof justifying the malicious accusations. Ironically, Voice of America is promoting the views of those organizations which have been banned by the government of Pakistan for undeniable involvement in terrorism and violence.

Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are those provinces where terrorists of various brands are striving hard to dismantle the writ of the state. This question merits attention to why the Voice of America is being blamed by concerned Pakistanis for projecting anti-state rhetoric in terror-ridden areas of Balochistan and KP provinces.

What objectives does Voice of America want to attain by promoting the venomous ideology of banned terrorist groups and their sympathizers? Being an American state-funded media outlet, irresponsible journalism of Voice of America can affect Pakistan-US bilateral ties and hinder the joint objectives in combating the menace of terrorism.

Pakistani citizens are holding the outlet accountable for its biased journalism and also urging the government to take stock of the situation. A soft corner of a foreign media outlet for banned separatist groups, that too using a website in local languages, is enough to ring the alarm bells. The region is already affected by the cutthroat contestation of global players. Propaganda in the garb of human rights and freedom of expression has emerged as a tested coercive weapon of the Western world.

We have seen the extraordinary sensitivity of the US and its Western allies on the issue of anti-state propagation through media outlets and digital platforms. Can the USA lift the ban on Russian media outlets especially the RT on the much talked about pretext of press freedom? American answer would be a definite ‘No’!

So would the case about various sorts of bans imposed on media and digital platforms to curtail the ‘foreign interferences’. How Pakistan can ignore the bias of any foreign media platform towards banned outfits? The matter turns more serious when the outlet starts twisting the facts to portray the state as an offender or violator as compared to the terrorists or anarchists.

Voice of America is being held accountable on social media by Pakistani citizens for glorifying and promoting anti-state elements. Meaningfully favourable reporting about banned PTM is another example of biased editorial policy. The government of Pakistan had to impose a ban on the ethnic group to fuel the violent prejudiced tendencies in terrorism-affected areas. It would be appropriate for the government to review the terms of permission granted to foreign media outlets for working in Pakistan.

Loopholes, if any, being exploited to project anti-state quarters by the foreign media outlets should be immediately plugged. Persistent twisted reporting against the state with impunity reflects undetected gaps. As far as violation of CDA rules is concerned; it should not be a big problem for the local authorities to hold the violators accountable without being influenced by their status or journalistic pressure.

Let us see how seriously the government moves ahead to nail the mischievous journalism of media outlets amid their blatant support for anarchists and terrorists.

The writer is a student.