The hope that abides vis a vis the India-Pakistan relationship is based on a simple assumption, a cliché almost: There’s more that unites us than divide us. Historically, of course, the northern parts of India and eastern parts of Pakistan were a cultural unit. But even in contemporary times, the parallels between the pillars of the state in the two countries — the government and the media — are remarkable. Earlier this week, reports confirmed that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has barred television anchors from giving their “opinions” during talk shows and limited their role to “moderator”. For those Indians not familiar with how TV anchors in Pakistan go about their business, suffice it to say that apart from the odd Urdu phrase, they are mostly a mirror image of their Indian counterparts. Pemra’s directive bars anchors from appearing as “experts”, and says they should not provide “personal opinion”, “bias” or “judgements” on any issue. Pemra might as well outlaw prime time TV debates, as they are conducted in this part of the world.
There was a time when television actually provided news, and attempted to inform its viewers. But prime time is now, on both sides of the border, a space where anchors attempt to echo government views and stand up for an imagined idea of nationalism. The “debate” is set in a gladiatorial arena, or to be more accurate, it is like American professional wrestling — the outcome is decided, and the referee is in on it. In fact, on one memorable day on Indian TV, a popular party spokesperson donned the mantle of an anchor, pretending to reserve his “judgements”, albeit quite poorly.
None of this, however, is by way of providing justification for Pemra’s diktat. In Pakistan, as in India, the government seems to believe that it is best suited to interfere in matters that are none of its business. The fact is, most news channels do what they do because that’s what they believe the audience wants. The best way to “regulate” a free press is for people to just change the channel.
