Daily Times

The fourth Faiz International Festival WAS FORCED violate their own charter for the free flow of ideas through cultural exchange, art and, of course, debate. Four prominent figures of the Left were prevented at the last minute from participating in the event.

The message that was unwittingly sent was one of a state so fragile that it is under threat from two academics (Dr Ammar Ali Jan and Dr Taimur Rahman); one MNA (Ali Wazir); and a former newspaper editor (Rashed Rahman). And that the most effective means of de-legitimising alternative narratives is not through engagement but ‘absence’.

Sadly, this is not a new story here in democratic Pakistan. The breathing space for independence of thought is shrinking by the day. And it is only accelerating under the stewardship of the new man at the helm, Imran Khan. Whereby talk show hosts that are even slightly critical of the government and powers-that-be run the risk of being booted off the air. Or newspaper editors face extreme pressure on an almost daily basis to censor reports and opinion that do not toe certain lines. And everything else in between.

What therefore can be done to peacefully resist this very real encroachment of the public intellectual space? Print media has long run blank spaces to signal where material has been removed under duress. Over the weekend, the Faiz Festival came up with its own version: an empty chair on the stage where a panellist ought to have been sitting. But while such gestures are rich in symbolism — they are no substitute for collective response.

Local participants in the festival could have perhaps staged a walkout in protest; after explaining their actions to audiences. Just as members of the White House press corps ought to have done following President Trump’s verbal attack and subsequent smear campaign against a CNN journalist. Strength, after all, is found in solidarity. That being said, with this comes the risk of punitive measures; particularly economic. All of which underscores how such boycotts — however temporary — must be organised and inclusive across the board. For piecemeal efforts will always lack sustained momentum as well as impact.

But for any of this to happen, the media, academics and civil society must reach consensus on the best way forward to reclaim democratic rights.  *

Published in Daily Times, November 20^th 2018.