Few months ago, when the federal minster for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussein slapped a renowned journalist in public, I thought the two were settling old scores and it was mainly a private matter since both of them did not enjoy a reputation of holding their tongues back when it came to criticizing their political rivals. They must have lost temper on a personal matter.
It must be said that the journalist, as a television host and commentator, acted more like a political worker of a party than a neutral reporter describing the facts or an expert professional with a strong grip on the subject. Thus, his vitriolic utterances and his biased remarks earned him a negative reputation. However, to be honest, this can be said about any journalist who carries a strong opinion about one party. Pakistan has got a lot of experts; opinion-makers and reporters like him who talk and walk as spokesmen which is why they are known to be corrupt and disloyal to the profession.
Anyways, after being beaten up, he thought he held enough sway in powerful circles to file a police complaint against the minister. But Fawad Chaudhry turned out to be much more influential. Hence the report could not be lodged. Learning his lesson, the hard way, the journalist just kept a low-profile avoiding future arguments with the minister and thus future embarrassment too.
Pakistani media both print and electronic, did not take as much of a notice too and just in a couple of days everything stood as before like the shameful incidence had never happened. Myself included, I did not a have a good explanation for the lack of strong condemnation from the professional organization. May be because it was the first time that both the journalist and the politician have crossed the redline so they let the matter go without ballooning it up. Or maybe they thought that both needed each other for a lesson to be learnt.
So are there any lessons learnt? No, not at least by the politician.
Following the same pattern, a couple of weeks ago the minister met another anchorperson and hit him on the face. The television personality had recently run a scandalous and disturbing show against Fawad Chaudhry which was neither new nor surprising for him since all his career he had conducted such programs targeting his political opponents. Again yes, I am using my words carefully by calling his victims as political rivals since this television host too follows a discernible tag line. I also don’t think he has a professional degree in journalism but regardless of his academic background he was never physically assaulted by any of the parties that he has scandalized before.
The idea to unleash violence on someone you disagree with cannot be tolerated in any civil society
Once it was reported in the media, the minister was asked to confirm on a television show which he did without any reservation or a second thought. Unashamedly, he said it was a brawl leading both of them to hit each other, a great explanation and a defense once again! Probably a police report has been filed this time but cannot be confirmed independently.
No professional organization has denounced the actions of the federal minister in public, at least not in a forceful manner. None of the news channels has boycotted him. He is requested to come on live telecasts as before. He is also invited on various forums as the lead speaker, He enjoys the company of his fellow politicians in discussions arguing in favor of democracy and accountability, while everyone wants to look the other way, including people who I admired for their honesty, steadfastness and professionalism.
Without mincing my words, I have already made myself clear that I do not agree with either of the journalists. I thought they almost always crossed lines. They need to be brought under the court of law for defamation. However, I cannot allow physical assault to slide past me without me raising voice.
Today, I believe, if we don’t or the professional unions don’t bring this issue up as they are trying to shove it under the carpet or provide some lip service to the victims, then we are setting themselves for a greater failure. Why? Who knows who would be the next target of politicians. How the other journalist would be attacked? Would it just be a slap or a punch or it would be more than that. If the same journalist runs another rancorous program again, would it mean his bones needed to be broken to teach a lesson? Have we forgotten, few years ago, another journalist was shot many times in Karachi because his views did not align with the institutional policy? How is this incidence any different? No, it is not.
I have said in one of the platforms and I say it here again that qualitatively it is not any different to invite Fawad Chaudhry for an interview than to ask Ihsan Ullah Ihsan, the former representative of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for a comment. Quantitatively they stand poles apart, I agree. But the idea to unleash violence on someone you disagree with cannot be tolerated in any civil society. All the television channels, NGOs, think-tanks, in my opinion, need to boycott Fawad Chaudhry, not only to keep their own integrity but also to protect the integrity of their professions. They owe it to their colleagues and to the place which helps them bring food on the table to their families.
The writer is a US-based freelance columnist