Musharraf criticises, praises media: PBA asked to work out code of conduct

President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday criticised the role of media in relation to various highly important political and judicial developments such as the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and the judicial crisis. However, he said media played a positive role in the passage of Women Protection Bill and towards the Lal Masjid issue.
Speaking at the conclusion of first National Media Workshop, organised by the National Defence University here, the President warned that any effort to damage integrity, security and sovereignty of Pakistan would be countered massively.
He said media continued to give the negative projection to the issue and acted like giving running commentary on one-day cricket international. He said the talk shows had been politicising the judicial issue and showed dead bodies and images of the dying people on 12th of May. He said these were the gory scenes, which disturbed the mind of the people.
The President said the electronic media reporting was exaggerated and partisan while covering the judicial issue. He said a section of the media sometimes also projected terrorists as heroes, which amounted to encouraging them and siding with their cause. He rejected the impression that innocent people were targeted and killed in the Tribal Areas.
The President categorically stated that only terrorists were attacked after precise information and intelligence gathering. He warned that any terrorist attack in the world would have incalculable consequences for Pakistan if terrorists were not eliminated.
He said the media had a vital role to play in protecting and promoting national interests and responsibility towards safeguarding the national sovereignty, integrity and security.
The President said he was a firm believer in freedom of media and would be the last person to impose any curbs on it. He said free and vibrant media was a fourth pillar of the State and the first line of defence in safeguarding national interests and an essential ingredient of democracy.
He said it was he who decided to open up the media and today about fifty channels had been awarded licenses in the private sector. He said media should not be commercialised to the extent that the national and public interests were compromised.
Dilating upon the definition of the national interests the President said there must be a differentiation between national, public and government interests. He said the freedom of the media goes along with the responsibilities towards the country and its national interests and media must play its role towards guarding the national and public interests.
He said media could speak out about the shortcomings of the government but there should be no vested interests or ulterior motives into it. He said the Pakistan Broadcasters Association must work out a code of conduct and violators should be identified mutually and also penalised.
President Musharraf underlined that the economic development and progress lies at the core of country's security. Without economic progress and prosperity country's security could not be guaranteed. He said the foreign direct investment was essential for generating economic activities in the country, initiating development, technical and technological advancement and industrial growth.
The President said negative activities, extremism and terrorism would only scare away the foreign investors and would seriously hamper the country's economic development.
He said the issue of extremism and terrorism was a serious threat the country was facing today and media must help the government in projecting to the global community that it was only confined to few places involving a fringe minority.
The President underlining the need for creating cohesion among the people said promotion of inter-provincial harmony was imperative for development. He said that unfortunately media projected the Karachi incidents in a negative manner converting it into ethnic conflict, which could be damaging for the country.
He said about three billion rupees revenues were lost in a single day as a result of violence in Karachi on May the 12th. He said the resolution of Kashmir dispute was also a national issue and media needed to promote government efforts in rejecting the confrontationist approach and encouraging it on the path of just resolution of the dispute. He said nuclear and missile assets and their protection were also issues of national interests.
He said the security of the country was the basic responsibility of the armed forces and the peace could only be achieved by the position of strength. He said country was passing through some of the most volatile phase in its history and it could get further aggravated as the country was facing the threat of extremism and terrorism.
Rejecting the notion that the serving military was involved in economic activities, the President said various organisations, including Fauji Foundation, NLC, Frontier Works Organisation and Askari Banks etc, were catering to the needs of retired personnel of the armed forces and being run by themselves.
He said these organisations contributed 36 billion rupees to the national exchequer during the outgoing financial year. The President called upon the media to extend a helping hand to the government in making Pakistan an enlightened and moderate State and in the fight against extremism and terrorism. He said if the government and the media did not join hands the country would go down. He said he expected support from the media in government's efforts to countering extremism and combating terrorism.