Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made his usual harangue while defending government’s senseless and shameful act of putting the name of renowned Dawn writer and journalist, Cyril Almeida, on the exit control list (ECL). The frontline security czar came down hard on the journalist, and announced formation of a committee to investigate the report on a high-level security meeting. While addressing the media on Thursday, he termed the news item incorrect. He said that the Dawn reporter stood by the story even after conceding that nobody confirmed the news, and that warranted a proper inquiry.
While giving reason for putting Almeida on the ECL, he said that the veteran journalist was put on the no-fly list as he was planning to leave the country. The Dawn’s staffer’s story, “Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military” described what transpired in a high-level meeting in which the civil leadership allegedly criticised military’s policies on militancy. Reportedly, the main reason for taking this extreme step is that the story has directly affected the reputation of the country at the national and international level. Nisar lamented that the narrative of Pakistan enemies regarding the non-state actors was published in the article “despite all the participants of the meeting denied any such happenings.” The minister said the entire world had an opportunity to charge-sheet Pakistan, and Indian media manipulated the report as vindication of their narrative.
Even if the government’s claims are believed to be true, why is the government reluctant to take action against the real ‘culprit’ who was present in the meeting and disclosed the contents of the huddle? Alternatively, the interior minister can share the actual issues that were discussed in the meeting in order to allay these misperceptions. Can the worthy interior minister explain what was so ‘sensitive’ in the story that has not already been reported number of times by various newspapers? It actually showed Pakistan in a good light with civilians asserting that non-state-actors must be reined in for Pakistan’s own good. So far, the government of Pakistan has not been able to control the activities of militants and their sympathisers in the country. Hafiz Saeed and other leaders of banned outfits remain at large, and a number of banned groups are still active in various parts of the country. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, still has his case pending with Pakistani courts. To prevent further bloodshed and to stop tension between the two countries from reaching a boiling point, the Pakistan government needs to crack down on terrorism as a whole, and Lashkar-e-Taiba in particular, instead of targeting those who pinpoint the real issue.
In the present case, the person who leaked the information should be held accountable first. Another anomaly in the case is that due process has not been followed while putting a citizen’s name on the ECL. It was the interior minister himself who had announced in May last year that in future only the higher courts will be mandated to put people on the ECL. Already the misuse of the ECL is rampant, including on the basis of personal enmity or political grounds.
In fact, government circles themselves have managed to build a wrong perception regarding the story, which was no more than a piece of writing based on a high-level discussion about a common challenge. It could have gone unnoticed, if the Prime Minister’s Office had not started issuing rebuttals that actually made it more prominent. The story gained worldwide attention due to the flawed response of the government. There is no denying the fact that a meeting took place and discussions were held between the civilian government and army. Then how can the government deny the reporting of this meeting? Government needs to give respect to the fundamental right of freedom of speech, and it should not attach it with the national security. Freedom of expression and forums of public opinion are essential elements of democracy and need to be given space for survival of democratic norms.
And in that process, there is always room for rebuttal and negation of a story, not a legal inquiry and putting of a journalist’s name on ECL, a step that is for those who kill, perpetuate acts of terrorism or steal from the treasury of Pakistan. Has Cyril Almeida committed any of these heinous crimes? There is, however, a long list of people who have committed these crimes, and are still operating with immunity in Pakistan, free to travel as and when they wish. Within and outside Pakistan. *