Why Venna Malik was abused the most?

The fuss, the melodrama, the climax and then the sudden anti-climax, all these events were visible as Venna Malik was ousted from doing a Ramazan show on a Pakistani private channel.

Some think, Venna's ousting was a result of public pressure, other consider it a wrath on Venna. Many on social media network are of the opinion that if the masses can eliminate a single ‘vice’, i.e Venna Malik, then they can eliminate all our problems through public protests and activism.

There is some truth in all of these reasons. For sure, if there isn't any public viewer ship, private channel owners would be forced to close down the program. All media shows runs on advertisements, and advertisements come from industries and corporations. Capitalists only invest money from where they could extract the most juice. People in Pakistan were very dejected by seeing Venna doing a Ramazan show. Capitalist read the national feeling and closed the program just hours before the first fast in Pakistan.

Another group considers Venna's program a wrath on the Pakistani society. I don't know whether Venna qualifies to symbolise as a 'wrath'. In a country where 12 people died on the first day of Ramazan, where the life of quarter million children is at risk due to the Taliban polio ban, where acid is thrown on women, where girls are buried alive, where the heads on human being are beheaded, where suicide bombs and terrorism wreak havoc the whole society, how can Venna really be called a 'wrath'. Maybe for the fundamentalist consider not wearing a veil to be a greater sin than beheading human beings.

Public pressure and activism is the only peaceful way to bring a change. Gandhi's non-cooperative movement is the greatest symbol of bringing a peaceful revolution. But the question is was their any activism for ousting Venna? Was there a mass protest at Karachi Press Club, where millions were chanting "We Don't Want Venaa! We Don't Want Venaa!” Were there advertisements in newspapers against Venna's show? Were there television debates against her program like we had against on the media gate issue?

The answer is a simple 'No!'

There was no activism on this issue. Apart from some sections on facebook and twitter, people weren't much interested in bringing out mass protest rallies against Mademoiselle Veena.

The uproar against Dr. Liaquat was as great as it was against Ms. Veena. Why isn't Amir Liaquat ousted from his job? How is Maya Khan — the women who put the life of two innocent teenagers at stake when she immorally interfered in their private space — doing a Ramazan Show? How is a political anchor, Shahid Masood doing an Islamic show, moreover what has a cricketer to do with religious scholarship!

Ousting Veena from Pakistani private media wasn't a sole manoeuvre by the media capitalist enterprise; there's more to this issue.

In Pakistan, we don't have a laissez-faire free market. Like many third world capital markets, state intervention is a day to day affair. The problem comes when we try to decipher what 'state organs' means. As democracy hasn't totally taken roots in our society, the army and intelligence still has a major role to play in state functioning.

The intelligence (called ISI) has a huge fan base in Pakistan. I don't know how many love Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) in Germany. Meanwhile in Pakistan, there is a feeling that, even talking about ISI is a sin. Pakistanis freely abuse their president, prime minister, ministers, teachers, doctors, labourers, actors, artists, etc. But when it comes to ISI, there is an invisible halo around this institution.

I guess Veena's ousting from the Islamic program has something to do with this invisible halo. Year ago, Veena denigrated ISI in a picture which was vehemently criticised in Pakistan. The real reason of criticism against Vspeakeena was the tattooing of ISI on her shoulder. This was something really unacceptable by the ruling establishment. Even Mr. Rehman Malik, former interior minister of Pakistan, spoke against the tattoo. I don’t think tattooing comes in the domain of the interior ministry!

The ISI is the only point of difference between Venna and the others (i.e. Shahid Masood, Afridi, Maya, and Liaquat). The guest that are commonly visible on Dr. Masood’s program represent the religio-politcal status quo of the country. Hammeed Gul, DPC figure like Sheikh Rasheed, Imran Khan, etc. are given major a portion of talk time. Maya, Afridi, and Liaquat have nothing to do with the ISI.

I guess it is the state's play which expedited Venna’s removal. Pakistanis have a similar dislike for other anchors too, but they go on with their programs as freely as Dr. Shahid Masood.

Now begins the Ramazan Show!

In Pakistan’s news media, anchors are analogous to entertainers, but now their entertainment has become very predictable. Their monotonous attitude has made the infotainment discourse extremely boring. Moreover, the public narrative that the news media tries to create is mostly conservative having an explicit penchant towards fundamentalism. 

It is very unfortunate that the media chatter house has become the defining source of public discourse in Pakistan. People consider these private TV channels as a party working for people rights. They think these private capitalistic firms are speaking on their behalf.

Quite opposite, this is never the case. Private capitalistic media only speaks for products through which they can make money. The fundamental goal of any business is to maximise profit. They give a hoot to any issue that might reduce their annual profits. 

In the coming month, these media capitalist tycoons are going to exploit spirituality to maximise net incomes. Ramazan is a jackpot for all media tycoon in Pakistan. It will give a profit boost just at the start of the second half of FY2012. All media channels – either news or entertainment or infotainment – are going to extract the last drop of 'financial juice' from this God gifted month. News anchors, fashion designers, and self-tagged entertainers-cum-Islamic scholars will help the poor nation in understanding Islam. The poorest of the poor will be paying only Rs. 14.07 (+ tax) per minute, if they want to hang on with their religion.

Some of the media tycoons have also released their Ramazan promos (similar to Hollywood film trailers).

The entertainer for Geo Television network will be Dr. (false PhD) Amir Liaquat. With his expensive designer suits, his Oscar winning sobbing, his impromptu speech, and his dexterous use of hands will magnate hundreds of people to switch on their television screen at day break and sunset. This entertainer will laugh, cry, joke, intellecutalize, cook, and blabber all the month long. Two years ago, Amir Liaquat instigated people in killing Ahmadis. His program was a nightmare for the Ahmadi community which brought human loss to them. Let's see what this fundamentalist do in the oncoming month!

Dr. Amir Liaquat anchoring his Islamic Show

Next comes Dr. (I guess either in quackery or homeopathy) Shahid Masood. He'll be hosting the Ramazan transmission for ARY group. A fundamentalist by soul, he'll now be educating the masses to fear the Lord. For the last decade, this man has tried to portray the rightist school of thought as the only saviour of Pakistan. People like Hameed Gul the Red General, Zaid Hamid the Conspirator, Orya Maqbool Jan the chauvinist scholar, Imran Khan the Tsunami man, Ansaar Abbasi the crying patriot, and Dr. Israr Ahmed got the maximum TV talk time on his program. He affronts liberal and intellectual dissents and allows his guests to caricature people like Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Asma Jahangir on live television.

  

Shahid Masood will be hosting a
Ramazan Show with Maya Khan for the ARY Group

Next month, this fundamentalist doctor is going to do a Ramazan show with the Mrs. Maya Khan. She recently violated the private sphere of two Pakistani teenagers who were relaxing in a park when Spectre Maya came out of nowhere to teach them Islamic morality. These two entertainers will be the here bringers of non-Hijabi fundamentalism!

For the Express Television Network, Shahid Afridi — a famous Pakistani cricketer — is going to educate the masses about gaining spirituality in Ramazan! As the cricketer will be fasting in this holy month, he won't be able to play cricket; to fill the monetary loss for missing his cricket series, he has signed a Ramazan deal with a media tycoon. An unmatched example of spirituality being supplanted by capitalism! As the demand for 'spirituality' raises, thus the viewer ship for cricket decreases; hence, capital underscores religion for profit maximization.

 

Shahid Afridi working on Express News payroll.
Source:  http://www.mysongs.pk 

It can't be commented what will be the output of this transmission. I guess it is the first program where a working cricketer will also be a television evangelist. The influence of religion in the Pakistani cricket team couldn't help them in winning a series against Sri Lanka, but did help Shahid Afridi in becoming a religious entertainer. 

I think it was in this perspective Marx said religion to be the opium of the masses. These capitalist enterprises are going to make millions of rupees out of spiritualism. They are going to boost consumerism by publicising branded cloths. They will cook delicious food tempting others to do the same. On the other hand, a father of six living somewhere in Layari (a poor locality in Karachi), will try to condole his small children when they ask their mother to cook the same food Uncle Liaquat, Uncle Afridi and Aunty Maya cooked on the previous fast.

Recent media polls on Pakistani TV anchors

Certainly, the internet doesn't represent the whole spectrum of Pakistani society; likewise, the private media also doesn't represent the whole spectrum of Pakistani society. Private capitalist media is mostly seen in urban and semi-urban areas of Pakistan. They have no reach in the far flung villages and towns, keeping these villagers save from psychological brainwashing which they do in the urban centres.

On the posit that people who watch electronic media also use the internet, a poll on the internet gives a raw figure what the people think about TV anchors in the post-Media Gate scenario.

In a recent poll by DAWN, people out-rightly rejected the credibility of media anchors. The question asked in the poll was, "Do you think the recent talk show scandal has reduced media's credibility?"  The results are: 

DAWN poll taken on 20/6/2012 (6.16 PM).

More than 90% of the internet voters voted "YES". In their view the media has lost its credibility. Even if we assume that their is a plus/minus 20% error in the figures, even then 70% people still have no credibility in Pakistan news media. This is devastating for the news creation industry. I think these anchors should run for the forests or shift to other industries!

In another poll conducted by Express Tribune, netizens gave a very similar opinion. This time, they were posed a different question. The poll asked: "Do you believe that Meher Bokhari's and Mubashir Lucman's interview with Malik Riaz was scripted?" Again, the results are devastating for the news media industry:

Express Tribune Poll on Mazhar Abbass' article
taken on 20/6/2012 (6.31 PM)

We can see that more than 90% voters are of the opinion that the Malik Riaz interview was scripted. In other words, it was no different from a third rated film, drama or theatre shows. The voters consider serious new programs similar to entertainment programs, thus clearly damaging the intrinsic character of news industry. It's a shame for a scientist if someone calls him a joker. Likewise, it's a shame for an anchor person if someone compares him or her with Charlie Chaplin or Marilyn Moore. I have all respect Charlie Chaplin or Marilyn Moore. It is shameful for the journalist to be compared with entertainment industry characters.


Another poll result question whether we really need need television talk shows. The results are:

Polls by journalismpakistan.com taken on 20/06.2012 (7.00 PM)

Will the urban middle class stop watching the corrupt and capitalist news media? Unfortunately, the answer is 'no'. There is no alternate to electronic news medium. The news industry is either controlled by capitalist tycoons or the government. The social media can act as an alternate, but the recent censorship by PEMRA has sabotaged this source of information sharing. All important sources of information are blocked by the PEMRA censorship board in Pakistan.

Secondly, internet access in Pakistan is lower compared to cable TV access. Everyone cannot excess Youtube and social blogosphere. Considering the low literacy rate in the country, even if people have access to them, it won't be useful for bringing a change.

All in all, the Capitalist media will continue to reign on our lives.

Can Gilani be ousted?

PM Gilani. Source: DAWN

The court has won and democracy has lost. In an excellent strategic move by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the cheif justice has diverted all media attention from his son , Dr. Arsalan Ifthikar, shifting the new focal point towards Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani.

The Journalists are jubilant. The court's decision has given them a chance to enshroud the recent Media Gate scandal. Nineteen top journalists were working on Mr. Malik Riaz's pay roll. They were illegally defending a capitalist, who had strong ties with the elite of the Pakistan Army and political establishment. The video leak was a puncture in the Journalist-Capitalist-Military union. Someone had to save them from drowning, and behold! The court came to their rescue.

At a juncture where the Supreme Court should had focused on how money manages the intricate power balance, how capital manipulates media attention, and how capitalists and generals agree upon large housing enterprises; the court took an easier path through the forest. Certainly, solving the Media Gate scandal would have allowed the nation to understand the dynamics of illegal capital in Pakistan. It would have unearthed the names of many more corrupt generals, journalists, politicians, and judges. The Supreme Court could have helped in purifying the money supply mechanism in the country, but it failed to do so.

The Supreme Court has directed its attention towards a case that will only help in damaging the immature democratic dispensation. The whole premise for ousting PM Gillani is that he hasn't fulfilled the courts order to file a case against the current president of Pakistan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari. Is a piece of letter that much important that a nominated prime minister should be forced to leave his office? Will the next PPP prime minister write such a letter? What will the Supreme Court do, if the second nominated prime minister also disobeys the court's order? Will the Supreme Court also oust the second? The decision will only catalyse the present instability in the country. It has opened a new constitutional Pandora's Box, which can only be closed after the end of this government's tenure.

The Court knows that it has opened a Pandora's box. The question is why are they destabilizing the country? The Supreme Court doesn't want to topple the status quo. It's helping the military elite like it has always done in history. It is bringing smiles on the faces of the Punjabi ran establishment. It is helping the noxious and money-hungry media tycoons and journalist. It is weakening democracy, so the chief justice remains the undefeated saviour who can solve all problems of the country. All in all, the decision is going to maintain the status qou, and the power of the majority would still remain in the hands of the non-legislative institutions of the state.

Apart from all this, the decision is unconstitutional from the perspective of any democratic norm. In a democracy, supremacy lies with the majority. It doesn't lie in the hands of a clergy, judiciary, or army elite. The chief justice has no power to topple the decision which 180 million Pakistanis gave in February 2008. He should at least respect the basic premise of democracy that Aristotle told 2400 years ago:

"Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal."

But in today's Pakistan, democracy has become - in the words of Emerson - a government of bullies tempered by editors. In our context, the bullies are the judges while the editors are the media journalists.

Now, the Supreme court insists that the Prime Minister should write a letter to the Swiss authorities. The constitution is very clear about the issue presidential indemnity. Article 248 of the constitution states:

248. Protection to President, Governor, Minister, etc.

(1) The President, a Governor, the Prime Minister, a Federal Minister, a Minister of State, the Chief Minister and a Provincial Minister shall not he answerable to any court for the exercise of powers and performance of functions of their respective offices or for any act done or purported to be done in the exercise of those powers and performance of those functions:

Provided that nothing in this clause shall be construed as restricting the right of any person to bring appropriate proceedings against the Federation or a Province.

(2) No criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President or a Governor in any court during his term of office.

(3) No process for the arrest or imprisonment of the President or a Governor shall issue from any court during his term of office.

(4) No civil proceedings in which relief is claimed against the President or a Governor shall be instituted during his term of office in respect of anything done by or not done by him in his personal capacity whether before or after he enters upon his office unless, at least sixty days before the proceedings are instituted, notice in writing has been delivered to him, or sent to him in the manner prescribed by law, stating the nature of the proceedings, the cause of action, the name, description and place of residence of the party by whom the proceedings are to be instituted and the relief which the party claims

Why is Mr. Iftikhar Chaudry insisting the Prime Minister to follow an unconstitutional order? Has he not read the constitution? I hope he must had read it.

Rather than solving Dr. Arsalan Ifthikhar case, the CJ has consciously saved his son. Just look at the timing of this decision! Two weeks back, an eminent civil rights activist, Ms. Asma Jahnegir said that 17 judges have no right to rule 180 million people. Then came the issue of DR. Arsalan Ifthikhar bring CJ's son in the  limelight. Next, the SCP (Supreme Court of Pakistan) passed a decision declaring the former Pakistani Ambassador to USA, Mr. Hussian Haqqani, a traitor. Meanwhile, the Media Gate scandal completely destroyed media's credibility. 

This latest decision is the golden egg in the SCP's basket. The Chief Justice will call it a personal victory, while the journalist will view it as an excellent propaganda to cover their ills. 

For me, the recent move by the chief justice is undemocratic by the very definition of democracy. Noam Chomsky commented:

The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.

The people of Pakistan would never allow a specific institution to seize their constitutional right to govern themselves. 

The media capitalist relationship

A recent video leaked on YouTube has triggered one of the biggest media controversy in Pakistan. The video shows two Pakistani journalists doing a predetermined interview with the business Tycoon Malik Riaz. The off-air discussion between Mr. Riaz, Ms. Bukhari, and Mr. Luqman,shows how capitalism runs the media for pursuing its goals. The video is 30 minutes long. The two journalist act as if they work for Mr. Riaz:

Mehar Bukhari (B) : `Say what you want... what question should we ask. It will appear as though it is planted...

Mubashir Lucman (L) asks Riaz (R), `Give me a villa like you have given Hamid Mir [who hosts a show at Geo TV]`. 

During the program Luqman also gets angry, while Riaz tries to bring him back to the program. 

***

Mehar Buhkari and Mubashir Luqman in the leaked video

The video shows how capitalism controls every aspect of life in the society. It is capital which allows someone to buy journalist, judges, and generals. In a corrupt society like Pakistan, capital can do wonders. The leaked video is a test case example on how a capitalist use illegal means of power to influence the state. 

The journalist asks for a villa, proving him to be a lapdog of the capitalist elite. The market principles are what dictate the ethics of the journalists. The only unethical attitude, is the one which creates hurdle in the easy flow of capital. Mr. Talat Hussain rightly says:

"میڈیا کا سب سے بڑا احتساب مارکیٹ خود کرتی ہے"

"It is the market to which the media is accountable"

The only purpose for setting up a media industry - or any industry - is to make money. The biggest source of money in a media industry is through advertisement, which comes from large business tycoons. The owner of a media group can never speak against these tycoons, as speaking against them, only diminish their annual profits. No media group want this, and hence the bilateral agreement for the enlargement of market becomes stronger and stronger.

A question arises that why are many media groups criticising this leaked video? The reason is simple; Market principles force them to do so. The media industry runs on the public viewer-ship. If the viewer-ship decreases, this will automatically reduce the advertisement time; hence a decrease in profit would be registered. The money designated for the news media might go to other industries where people have a greater interest. Therefore, the internal critique by the media is an attempt to regain the 'trust' relationship with the viewers. This internal critique is not against the capitalist elite or media corruption; rather it is an attempt to strengthen the media-capitalist relationship.

The Journalist Judiciary alliance will also gain strength. The whole news media industry is supporting the Supreme Court's self-motivated action against the leaked video interview. Any friction is the mechanism of JJ alliance will cause inefficiency in the media propaganda mechanism. The journalists support all unconstitutional decisions made by the Supreme Court, while the supreme courts everyday suo-motto action allow the electronic media to develop sensational dramas. Secondly, a weak JJ alliance means a weak Mullah-Military alliance. Untrustworthy journalists cannot perform effective propaganda. In brief, the internal media criticism will strengthen the alliance between the judges, journalists, and capitalists.

In the coming we are going to watch prime time discussion programs related to the leaked video issue. At this point, the public should understand that private media is a capital creating machine. It has nothing to do with helping the society, or the weaker classes. This leaked video is not an aberration in the media industry. This is how the industry works. Mehar Bukhari comments:

 'ایسا تمام ٹاک شوز پر ہوتا ہے تو ان پر کیوں تنقید کی جا رہی ہے۔ ’یہ سب کرتے ہیں۔

"It happens all the time on talk shows. Why are we being criticised? All do this"