Daily Times

Heckling the press for the most obvious reason (you don’t have any answers) is an easy way out and explains why most repressive regimes seek to put media under their thumbs.

Unfortunately for former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, that is not how responsible democracies–especially those his kaptaan is on a crusade to protect–are run. What transpired outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday can only be called a sad reflection of a bully storming around after his legs have been cut out from under him.

Without the horsepower of a state protocol and a knack for bringing any ambitious journalists under the yoke (thank you, regulation authorities) Mr Chaudhry is left with no other option but to huff and to puff because the media houses he can no longer blow down. Standing one’s ground in a desperate attempt to champion his so-called integrity does not score many brownie points when it is your end of the table that has spewed disgusting venom. Being a seasoned journalist, Mr Matiullah Jan was spot-on in refusing to bow down to such altercations.

After all, he has decades of on-field experience and thousands of credible stories on his record to show the mirror to the former’s strange “karaye ka admi” allegations. In stark contrast, PM Khan’s aide has conveniently forgotten his own jumping of sinking ships and swerving through hard-to-pass lanes.

However, this ugly manifestation does not speak of two individuals but rather the breathing derogatory culture that thrives in the underbelly of political confusion and moral disarray. Even a single word against the linchpins would cause a storm of filth to come charging toward you. Amidst this constant landing of blows and throwing of glasses, journalistic freedom and integrity have been reduced to awe-inspiring platitudes.

Where would we turn next, one may wonder? To a greater fracas, a dirtier mayhem! Because why go through the trouble of indulging in a reasoned debate when just two rounds of an aggressive verbal duel (to be mindlessly repeated ad nauseum) can help you escape any tough line of questioning? *