TV THOUGHTS: pemra law amendment withdrawn; national interest? Political interviews matter; Shagufta bares her heart

The controversial Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Amendment Ordinance has been withdrawn after President General Pervez Musharraf issued orders to do so. The orders were issued after a meeting that he had with a delegation of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association on Saturday last.
The ordinance had allowed the Pemra to confiscate the equipment of broadcasters and seal their premises without consulting the Council of Complaints. The withdrawal order has made no mention of the prohibition on live coverage of the engagements of the Supreme Court Chief Justice and on talk shows dealing with the presidential reference, said a news report.
At a media briefing Information Minister Mohamad Ali Durrani "dispelled speculations that the president had made the withdrawal of the ordinance conditional on the formulation of a code of conduct by the PBA within three days".
This withdrawal of the ordinance has been a major development for the TV channels. The Federal Budget 2007-2008 has been another major theme in the electronic media as well, and for all the efforts that were made to make the salient features of the budget acceptable to the majority of the viewers, disinterest and disbelief on this subject have been very obvious.
Interestingly and understandably, themes like price hikes on all fronts, and power shortages that have assumed scandalous proportions, especially with reference to the KESC have had stronger appeal than the budget, which is being reduced to a theme that interests only the economists and the technocrats, apart from the business world. I have heard TV viewers wonder why TV channels focus so much on the budgets every year.

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OUR DIFFICULT POLITICAL TIMES:
We are presently in political times, difficult, challenging, exasperating political times, and not just that. These are defining moments in our national life and the next few months are going to be tense, even decisive. Which way will it all go? The politician is under focus. And TV channels play a very strong role in bringing home the politician who has lived in cold newsprint hitherto.
The familiar routine is to have politicians either being reported making speeches or participating in panel discussions and talk shows on the TV channels.
Sometimes there are programmes that provide the citizen with an opportunity to have a closer informal look at the politicians in the country, who have been integral to our lives, one way or another. I am reminded here of the Ek Din Geo Key Sath which has provided TV viewers with a much needed chance to look at the personal lives of some of the politicians in our country, even though these programmes are scheduled (and rehearsed?) and are not spontaneous.
Watching briefly the repeat telecast of a PTV morning show, later in the evening, provided TV viewers with a real life look at some of the personal details of Syed Fakhar Imam, a former speaker of the National Assembly, and his wife Syeda Abida Hussain, a former Pakistan ambassador to the United States. That they are both distinguished and respected politicians in their own right and have an impressive individuality as a husband-wife team, is well known.
This soft conversation with them, in a context where politicians are coming through as hard hitting and uncompromising, was very welcome. There was a warmth in their conversation and in their silence. Syed Fakhar Imam is known for his dignified silence, which, however, his wife said was not to be misunderstood or misconstrued as being a sign of any weakness or flexibility, real or perceived. Once he makes up his mind on an issue it is impossible to make him change it.
Both husband and wife have crossed into their sixties, and the age difference between them is a couple of years.
This mention of age by Syeda Abida Hussain should itself reflect the realism of their approach to the TV interview, and of course to life. She said that it was time to slow down the pace of their lives - and Syed Fakhar Imam added that it was their responsibility to write down their memoirs as a matter of responsibility to the nation and to society. Syeda Abida Hussain who also recalled some of the basic facts of her life, and her relationship and devotion to her late father, in whose name there is a trust that runs a hospital for the poor, said that it was not yet the right time to be writing a book, as she believed that they were still, in some ways, part of the national and political mainstream. But she implied that the days when she and her husband would write their memoirs were near.
There were some familiar questions that were put to the couple, and obviously the answers were stereotyped and known. But TV viewers were pleased, it seemed from the live phone call's that came, with citizens wanting to know more about them. I would like to mention here that TV channels have introduced a new culture, a new trend, with these live phone calls. It is significant that viewers are willing to make these paid calls so as to interact with the media, and this is happening on the FM radio channels also.
It was an absorbing interview. I wonder whether there would come a time when comprehensive interviews with our political leaders would be recorded and possibly be available on CDs if they have that kind of lasting value. Surely citizens need to try and understand the leaders they have had, and TV channels can play a significant role in this.
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SHAGUFTA EJAZ TELLS HER STORY:
In the Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali, the well known TV artiste Shagufta Ejaz spoke with candour and courage about how her recent marriage went sour and without naming the man, she said, "he's a loser... I am back to my life.
It wasn't worth it..." And she said that she was taking the TV show as an opportunity to speak of the extent and manner in which women are insecure in this society, and how older men exploit younger women. In a way Shagufta was in rage which she controlled with dignity. And it needs to be stated here that she has been known to be an artiste with a dignified personality.
Begum Nawazish must have been aware of the background to the marriage that Shagufta Ejaz was referring to. Therefore, conversation on this subject went into many of the details of the marriage, and with the well known lawyer Khawaja Naveed Ahmed being the other guest in the popular show, the programme also underlined the legal aspect of marriages going bitter and heading for a break up, and how the rights of women need to be protected.
It also needs to be mentioned here that Khawaja Naveed Ahmed does a very absorbing, popular programme called Khawaja Naveed Ki Adalat Mein on TV One which explores and investigates the sociological background to middle class families, problems.
Back to the Shagufta Ejaz theme, which was the principal focal point in the show. TV viewers were aware to some extent that she had married (a second time) some time last year.
Thereafter she went off the TV screen, and presumably began settling down. But that was apparently not to be, and she gave some details of how the marriage failed. Shagufta Ejaz said that the man, who was already married, was in his late sixties and he exploited the fact that she was a single parent of two little girls.
He promised her security, and comfort and she confessed that she was also tired of 18 years of struggle. She thought that if she believed him, and married him, it would be a chance of giving up work and settling down. She believed his repeated promises.
But it was a love marriage that didn't work out eventually. She has a daughter from this marriage who is now eleven months old.
She gave details of how in the break-up the child was initially with the father, who looked after her - until she went to court and got custody Shagufta said that she learnt a lesson and to a question she responded by saying, "I feel strange" she disclosed that she does yoga and goes for walk regularly, is back to being close to her daughters, (who are of ages 12, 10 and eleven months) Begum Nawazish asked her if she could fall in love again. She responded by saying, "I don't think so." It was a nightmare, she added. And Begum Nawazish complimented her on her looks, and the glow on her face.
It is seldom that that someone from the showbiz world talks to the media to reveal details about a misfortune from a chapter of his/her life. But she did this with a purpose. She was bold and said that she wanted others to learn from her experience.
Khawaja Naveed Ahmed, the articulate advocate, made very pertinent contribution to the conversation between Begum Nawazish and Shagufta Ejaz. Just as well there was a lawyer in that drawing room! There was naughtiness between the lawyer and the Begum and that too was interesting, for Khawaja Naveed Ahmed's facial expressions harmonise with what he is saying. And with time he has turned into a broadcaster as well.
I saw this programme, around midnight and apart from the commercial breaks there was one for the 12.55 am news break. Given the kind of socio political climate we are in, the news break was needed. What next, who one never knows. But after the news it was for me, very late, for this Late Night Show. And sleep was the option that I went for.
So I missed the rest of the show, but felt that I was lucky to have dodged a KESC caused power failure and seen so much of it. That TV viewers have been deprived of many of their favourite or necessary TV programmes is something that is obvious, but still needs to be stated to express one's resentment and bitterness at the ruthless manner in which KESC's performance has humiliated Karachiites this year too.
Luckily for me I was able to see a bit of this Begum Nawazish Late Night Show on Wednesday around midday, and that enabled me to hear Shagufta Ejaz sing, and understandably a sad song. But then the song was interrupted by a news break. It reminds us of the times that we live in. It is no time for music, perhaps? Just a thought: does one see Shagufta become a singer as well in the years to follow? Life's strange??
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NATIONAL INTEREST:
There is a recurring theme on the TV channels, almost all of them have panellists and participants who in the heat of the argument end up with the "national interest". What constitutes national interest/who will decide what is national interest? One such panel discussion was in a programme compered by P.J Mir and participants included journalists and politicians.
There was a very strong emphasis on the expression "national interest" and there were a variety of interpretations on what is national interest and a variety of opinion on who will decide this issue. I am sure viewers contemplate this point also.
The mention of P J Mir brings in the thought of cricket and that he was the media manager of the Pakistan Cricket team that played the World Cup 2007 - which brings in the fact that the Jamaican police has finally said that the Pakistan team cricket coach Bob Woolmer died a natural death, and was not murdered as was being stated earlier on.
This has brought about a lot of relief and because Pakistan cricket team was also subjected to close and intensive investigation by the Jamaican police, TV channels have been saying that the Jamaican police owes an apology to the Pakistan cricket team and the Pakistani people. Even Imran Khan was saying something like this and suggesting over CNN that the Pakistan cricket board should take legal action on this issue.
Cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board, the problems of how cricket bosses mismanage and how the quality of the test cricketers is declining, are some of the themes that TV channels are focusing upon with sustained regularity - and I guess why not? There is a tireless interest in cricket and a strong passion that citizens have for cricket, regardless of who does what in the PCB and who plays poorly! That's the insane love that cricket zealots have.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2007