The Pakistani Spectator

There was a time when we had only one Channel named PTV and it used to stop broadcasting at midnight unless there was some special event like Pakistan Hockey match or Muhammad Ali’s boxing match being broadcast live. PTV helped to create a rival in the form of STN or Shalimar Television Network which created a dummy competition and PTV producers started working for private production houses to make money. Then PTV started launching its own different channels after STN started showing CNN, BBC and SS. I still remember when Doordarshan used to broadcast one movie and one Chiterhaar during the week and everyone was on rooftop to adjust the direction of the antenna to get a better signal strength.

One must give credit to a dictator for revolutionizing the Pakistan media by allowing so many private TV channels and FM Radios in Pakistan despite the Information Minster(y) making money out of the Licensing process. Nobody in Pakistan had any experience of running a private channel and Mr.Ghazanfar Ali can be treated as a pioneer in this field with his Indus Television. He was originally a PTV producer and was fired after shooting a film by some Indian Producer in which Javed Sheikh also worked besides Shafi Muhammad. After Indus Television it was like a madness and every one with money, every print media group got at least one license to launch a television channel and(kill the peoples mind).

All the channels started to copy their counterparts in India being easy thing to do so Star and Zee became our role models and their anchors also became role models in Pakistan. Instead of building our own brand and identity, we became copy cats gradually infused aggression in the political talk shows which stripped our culture of tolerance,decency and mutual respect. Our education level also contributed to this new brand of talk shows.The anchors and participants became actors like Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi and Some Anjuman and Saima characters. People like Wasi Zafar, Sher Afgan Niazi, Barrister Saif converted the TV channels into an idiot box. The current lot of politicians took these programs to the next level of non sense and more mature actors like Fouzia Wahab, Marvi Memon, Kashmala Tariq, Firdous Ashiq Awan have touched new heights and definitely deserve an Oscar.

Sheikh Rashid,Faisal Saleh Hayat, Khawaja Asif, Saad Rafiq are now claiming to be treated like Marlon Brando, Amitabachhan and Broad Pitt. TV Channels have taken it upon themselves to put our nation on the right path or Sirat-e-Mustakeem. Some channels have clearly shown their political inclination which I appreciate as long as they keep it but some channels decided to launch campaigns on different issues and “educate” the illiterate people of Pakistan on social issues. Live coverage of events and lead of becoming “First Reporter” of incidents took a new turn and every body who was nobody suddenly became everybody with a Mic in his hand and reporting live for…..news. The war on terror started by Mush and Bush became a household item through live coverage and we became the most informed nation of the world through the lens. We benefited from the collective wisdom of politicians, anchors and reporters and everyone else looked a goof.

Morning shows also started a new kind of competition and some great minds started to educate our women who had nothing to do at home except watching some cooking shows. Now these morning shows are a great source of wisdom for them. The language in political shows and morning shows introduced us to a new culture and language which was so far confined to remote areas and amongst illiterate or bazari people. Mush introduced us to this brand of politicians who had no ethics,norms or political knowledge rather they were grown in the flower pots with a wish to get fruit from them and they did provide him fruit for 5 forgettable years.

I was just wondering on this flip side of the media in Pakistan and wanted to share it with more learned people like you. There is a problem with the Pakistani People living abroad which keeps them in the same era when they left Pakistan and they still cherish same Pakistan which is etched in their memories but Pakistan has traveled too fast and gone way ahead of our thoughts and memories. Is it a progress or illusion?