News Update Times

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) The role of leadership is very crucial in challenging times; it is about understanding issues and being persistent in the pursuit of solutions. If the leadership is clear-headed, it can lead the nation on the path to progress. This was stated by Dr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in an exclusive interview with Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, CEO and Founder CORPORATE PAKISTAN GROUP and Nutshell Group.

He said that stability in the economy does not happen overnight; it needs sustainable efforts for an elected government based on competent people with the right skill set to address issues of public interest. In Pakistan, unfortunately, public representatives become part of the assemblies on the basis of relationships in different communities.

Dr. Alvi said that the Charter of Economy seems a very promising idea for the stability of the economy, but it is challenging in a country where different political parties have starkly different political ideologies; however, the best course of action for economic progress is a democratic setup which is empowered through votes.

Pakistan has fared far better than world economies during the last few years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the President said. He hoped that Pakistan will soon get out of the ongoing crisis, which has a lot to do with global inflationary trends as well as domestic uncertainties.

“I am optimistic that the situation will get better in Pakistan, which was first the victim of a long wave of terrorism that kept the foreign investors at bay. By the grace of God, we fought well against terrorists and prevailed. Then the COVID-19 pandemic came, and Pakistan fought that battle well too,” the President further said.

He emphasized that the adoption of knowledge and technology in the system is needed to bring change in our society, and this can be pursued better by the private sector than government institutions, but the policies should be consistent, and their implementation should be speedy.

Dr. Alvi said that he is a firm believer that the focus of Parliament and leadership should be on access to education for the masses. “There is a huge gap in education in Pakistan; it is going to be the single biggest issue in the next ten years. Uneducated people should receive suitable skills, and those with a mediocre educational background should be equipped with a better skill set,” he added.

The President praised the overseas Pakistanis for their unwavering support and valuable contribution to the economy, urging them to provide intellectual support for the empowerment of the Pakistani people, mainly through education.

The overseas Pakistani diaspora comprises workers, largely in the Middle Eastern countries, but a significant section, of up to 10%, is well settled in different countries; they can play a significant role for the development of Pakistan, the President said. “I requested them to adopt health and education institutions in Pakistan as the world needs human intellect. For instance, in cyber defense and cyber protection, the world needs 80 million professionals. I told them that every professional they train in this field will get work. There are so many other fields that need human resources,” he added.

Speaking about the geopolitical situation, Dr. Alvi opined that Pakistan should follow a smart approach which must be independent, while avoiding a definite tilt towards a specific bloc. To withstand pressures from different sides, he said that the economy needs to stand on its own feet. Plus, we must prefer sovereignty (khuddari) for the nation.

To a question about the growing polarization in Pakistani society and what should his role be as the head of the state, Dr. Alvi replied that he may not be able to convince the most polarized people to change their views, but he can unite the less polarized people around national causes.

“In COVID times, I did my best to keep Ulemas on board, and it worked very well. What we decided with the religious fraternity in Pakistan, the Muslim world followed the same later, e.g. keeping the mosques open for prayer during the pandemic,” Dr. Arif Alvi said.

He mentioned that the Presidency played a role in raising its voice on the issue of women’s right to inheritance. It also provided significant support to the PM Digital Skills Program, in which 24 million people participated, and a significant number out of them is making good money to support their families.

Regarding the future of Pakistan, Dr. Alvi said that the country is destined for development and prosperity due to its remarkable potential, but its institutions should be strengthened on a sustainable basis. A knowledge-based Pakistan needs less brick-and-mortar investment and more intellectual investment, he said.

The nation should elect a good leadership, and it is then up to the leadership to establish institutions and rid Pakistan of people with the vested interests, he concluded.

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) The British Council in collaboration with Patakha Pictures in Pakistan and the Scottish Documentary Institute in the UK organized a film screening event for “Pakistan Stories” at a hotel in Islamabad. Pakistan Stories seeks to support a new generation of female Pakistani documentary filmmakers to enable them to create engaging films that reflect on their society, and Pakistan’s 75 years of independence. 

The event celebrated the journey of the ten selected filmmakers through the programme. The filmmakers worked in pairs over a period of eight weeks and were mentored by experts in Pakistan and Scotland to develop and finance their creative skills so they could produce five short documentaries in a safe environment and reach new local and international audiences through their work. Important themes the documentaries cover include: early child and forced marriages, the rights of transgenders, women and disability, women in education and the feminist movement in Pakistan.

Guests at the event included the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, the Deputy Director of the British Council, Mark Crossey, filmmaker and founder of Patakha Pictures, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle, as well as top diplomats, senior government officials, journalists, leading experts from the arts space, and young aspiring artists and filmmakers.

The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner said, “Film is a brilliant vehicle for telling stories and giving women voice.  With trailblazers like two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and by combining the best of UK and Pakistan expertise, we can unleash the potential of the next generation of female filmmakers and women and girls across Pakistan.”

The Deputy Director at the British Council Pakistan, Mark Crossey said, “The British Council is delighted to have enabled this platform for emerging female Pakistani filmmakers to hone their skills and tell stories about Pakistan as we mark it’s 75^th anniversary with our Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives programme of activity. I look forward to these films being showcased across festivals in Pakistan and the UK.”

For Pakistan Stories, female documentary filmmakers from all across Pakistan submitted entries to be selected for the programme out of which ten were selected. The selected filmmakers went through a mixture of seminars, consultant-led advice and mentorship sessions including 18 practical documentary sessions online over eight weeks where they explored documentary creativity for the international film festival market.

 The founder of Patakha Pictures and leading filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said, “In the past week I have witnessed the growth of these ten filmmakers and I know that we are laying the seeds of a movement that will ensure that young women across Pakistan will be empowered to finally to tell their own stories in their own words.”

 Pakistan Stories screened five short documentaries at the event; Sinf-e-Taal by Amna Maqbool and Beenish Sarfaraz, My Mother’s Daughter by Ahmen Khawaja and Mariam Khan, Ways of Seeing by Seema Iqbal and Sehrish Kanwal, Haqeer by arzeen Aziz and Bushra Pervaiz and A Feminist’s Struggle by Fatima Syed and Areeba Naveed.

 The Director of Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle said, “Scottish Documentary Institute is very excited to be part of a collaboration with Patakha Pictures and British Council Pakistan, involving nurturing female filmmakers in enhancing their directorial voice in documentary. Working with reality is a humbling experience and female filmmakers are especially well equipped creatively and mentally to engage with emotional, challenging stories that need to be shared with the rest of the world.”

The short documentaries will be displayed at various film festivals in Pakistan and the UK.

Two-day conflict reporting conference concludes with Peace Journalism awards

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Social media has erased the line between truth and lies, and this is in my view is extreme reporting. Where facts, reality are manufactured but only if you have sufficient manpower and resource, you can alter reality, said Federal Minister of Power Khurram Dastagir Khan at the keynote address on the second day of the two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the Digital Age’ held at the Centre of Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA) on Sunday.

“Extreme reporting is an endeavor that requires bravery and strength and courage. If you look at Pakistan’s history there have been courageous men and women who have tried to express the truth and they have suffered for it. For example, Journalists have been shot in broad daylight, kidnapped and what not.

“But the media has failed to save the public from lies. It has put us in a difficult position. It might be an exaggeration to say so but this erasure of the line between truth and lies is endangering democracy worldwide. But in this country, where democracy is a one leaf plant, is crushed every so often. The media’s challenges are immense – almost the same as those as elected representatives because there are certain truths that cannot be said in this country and that is a fact. Just look at Balochistan…why are we not allowed to talk about its truth,” he added. 

The federal minister touched upon the civil military relationship and how it impacts the economy, the 2018 elections, ownership of media outlets, evolving technology and what is the truth. He also recited a couplet by Allama Iqbal.

As the conference concluded, the CEJ-IBA recognized and awarded journalists with the Peace Journalism awards which were a part of the Peace Journalism Program held by the CEJ in collaboration with US Consulate Karachi.

Mehreen Burney from Lok Sujag, PTV World reporter Tayyaba Nisar Khan, freelance journalist Afifa Nasarullah (Best Multimedia Story), Lok Sujag’s Kaleemullah received awards for their outstanding stories.

Reporter Faiza Gillani received the Best Acknowledgement Award and Swat’s Asmat Ali Akhun of Daily Jehan got the Special Mention Award.

Speaking at the award ceremony, US Consul General Mark Stroh said: “It has been a really fascinating couple of days. The US is supporting this Centre and training because we are committed to supporting journalists in Pakistan. We are proud to support this training programs at the CEJ-IBA. A strong professional press is important – especially in conflict – and it is through such trainings and conferences where journalists can play their role in shaping the discourse.”

The day ended with dinner and a musical performance by The Sketches.

The second day of the conference kicked off with a session on reporting from a conflict zone. The session was moderated by seasoned journalist Aamer Ahmed Khan. The panel included CNN’s Sophia Saifi, journalist and editor Raza Hamdani, WIONews bureau chief Anas Malick, TNN’s Khalida NAz and BBC’s Sahar Baloch.

The panel discussed at length the dangers of reporting from a conflict zone and shared their personal experiences. They talked about the importance of safety trainings and mental health check ins.

‘Woman have to think about additional safety measures when reporting in conflict zones’, said Ms Saifi.

“You are never prepared enough to be in a conflict zone, regardless of how well you know the region or how much you’ve studied or learnt over the years,” said Mr Malick.

BBC Urdu correspondent Sahar Baloch agreed with Mr Malick and said that anything can happen in the field.

Talking about the pressure from the desk while reporting in a conflict zone, Ms Baloch said that there is a style guide but “we are still told what to say. There is a lot of pressure. In print, it is easier as you can write it but on TV or on camera it is different. It sets a tone for your entire coverage. Also look at social media which does set another narrative. Each and every situation, however, is different,” she added.

The second session of the day, ‘Beyond Conflict?’ was moderated by media personality and lawyer Ayesha Tammy Haq. She was joined on stage by journalist and researcher Iftikhar Firdous, author and communication specialist Shahzad Sharjeel, journalist and writer Umber Khairi and journalist Zia Ur Rehman on the panel.

The panel discussed reporting in a post conflict world and the need for media houses to invest in their reporters.

Talking about how the panel and participants were born in times of conflict and are products of conflict, Ms Khairi said that conflict is everywhere, the entire country is in conflict. “Yesterday at a session, we saw two politicians who had so much conflict in their tones and what they were talking about. I think it is important that when you look at conflict, you need to have some form of a reconciliation process as well.

For journalist Zia Ur Rehman, he only remembers conflict. “I was born in Karachi, my entire upbringing – school and university, everything was and still is in conflict. I don’t think conflict has ended, I think it has transformed and has a new face,” he said.

“If you look at Karachi, the conflict might look like its gone away but it has just been pushed into the background. The political, ethnic and sectarian conflict still exists but is not mainstream right now. We haven’t tried to understand or investigate why,” he added.

The last session of the day was ‘Is The Future Now?’ which was moderated by Dawn.com’s editor and chief digital strategist, Jahanzaib Haque. He was joined on stage by policy analyst and editor of The Friday Times and Naya Daur Raza Rumi, Balochistan Voices’ Adnan Amir, TV producer and co-founder of The Current Mehmal Sarfaraz and the founder of The Centrum Media, Talha Ahad.

“Digital media is not the future, it is the present. Legacy media is out. In less than a decade or so you will see less public trust in legacy media and their business sense as well. On the other hand, social media has its own issues and digital has its own issues,” said Mr Rumi. 

For journalist and researcher Adnan Amir, when he started his career in journalism in Quetta, there was no space for him to contribute and mainstream media was not interested in covering Balochistan much.

“So me and a few other journalists got together and started our own platform ‘Balochistan Voices’ to get the news out. It is in English so our news would be accessible to a wider audience. We focus on different stories. For example, we did a data journalism piece on highway deaths in Balochistan and found out that more people die on the highway than terrorism,” he said.

Politicians, journalists, filmmakers, comedians talk about regulation, satire and the culture connection

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the Digital Age’ held at the Centre of Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration washeld on Saturday with a keynote speech by veteran journalist Hamid Mir.

Mr Mir discussed how his career started and why it is important to groom young Pakistani journalists and teach them about journalism.

IBA’s Dr S. Akbar Zaidi and CEJ-IBA’s executive director Amber Rahim Shamsi welcomed the participants and speakers to the event.

According to Ms Shamsi, without political satire, without freedom of speech, without quality journalism, the world is a slightly nastier place. “Peace isn’t just the absence of conflict, it’s conditions where justice, equity, and harmony can flourish. Journalists don’t broker peace that’s the job of the politicians and frankly, they’re not doing a great job of settling disputes themselves – journalists help those seeking justice, and highlight inequity,” she said. 

“Meanwhile, social media has turbo-charged the politics of conflict and populism. We live in a world where heroes are easy to manufacture and villains even easier to vilify. It takes a few tik tokkers and YouTubers. Like and subscribe to my channel, follow me.

“Besides, why promote harmony when polarization gets the access to the powerful, the fame, the clicks and ratings? I hope that’s one of the many questions we can find an answer to over the next couple of days, and one of those questions is fundamental – why do we still need journalism when we can’t even assume that people learn about the world through good journalism,” she added.  

Dr Zaidi said that he was delighted to be part of the conference which brings together Pakistan’s best and bravest journalists talking peace and about the challenges they face in an age of growing conflict, from those related to control and regulations, to outright intimidation and threats.

Talking about conflict as a social scientist, Dr Zaidi said that in the social sciences, there is conflict in everything including the family – the hierarchy creates conflict and conflict can also have many forms.

Welcoming the participants to the two-day conference, Dr Zaidi said: “I hope there’s a lot of conflict in your discussion and some resolution too.”

The first day kicked off with a powerful session titled: do we need journalism? Moderated by journalist Shahzeb Jillani, the powerhouse panel which included, Lok Sujag’s chief editor Badar Alam, BBC’s Zeeshan Haider and Geo’s Benazir Shah.

The panel discussed the grim reality of the state of journalism in Pakistan and how important it is for the country now and in the future.

Mr Haider said that it wasn’t a question about creditability but trust. “A user is now basing news preference on if they like/dislike the person sharing the news (which is essentially their opinion). Verification of news or fact is secondary for them,” he said.

For Geo’s Benazir Shah while journalism is important and needed – the quality of what you read in the newspapers had gone down.

“The problem with consuming news on social media is that there will always be doubt — is this accurate and authentic? I get a lot of messages from my friends who will send me a link and ask if this is fake. There is also a misconception between a journalist and reporter. A reporter provides information and a journalist will provide it in context. There are a lot of layers in a media organisations which get eliminated in social media,” she added.

According to Mr Alam, journalism does not exist in a vacuum. “Conflict is essential for what we do. The conflict Pakistan is facing right now is not being resolved in a democratic way and so journalism cannot survive in an undemocratic atmosphere. There is no real democracy in this country so journalism right now is distorted and mutilated. If people don’t trust the media, you can’t blame them. Even within that, image in we have done good journalism and are still doing it,” he said, adding that while the future of journalism might not be bright but was there.

The second session, Foes and Friends: Media Laws and Regulations promised to be an explosive session with former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, State Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik, journalist Hamid Mir and lawyer Zainab Janjua. The session was moderated by prime TV anchor and journalist Maria Memon.

“Back in 2018, I predicted that media boom will be over and in the next five years it will just be social media. There is no proper mechanism for the media – there is no regulation,” said Mr Chaudhry.

In his opinion, Pakistani media needs three things to survive: regulation, proper mechanism and keep up with technology changes.

State Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik had a very different take on the topic. For Dr Malik, the media and politicians are the same. “I don’t think there is a difference. You can call them organisation, politicians, journalists – essentially they are all the same thing. They are the country’s elite and they are shocked. Their responses are of shock or as they say frozen in shock, and they do not know how to respond,” he said.

“We need to realise that the times have changed. The medium of news consumed has changed, politics has changed. It is all bankrupt but the question is: who shook them? The people,” he added.

The panel went on to debate on regulations, implementation, self-regulation, fake news and freedom of the press.

The third session of the day, Hasna Mana Hai, the panel had everyone laughing with their witty one liners and stories.

Comedian Shehzad Ghias Shaikh asked content creator Tamkenat Mansoor, writer, poet and communications expert Shahzad Sharjeel, musician Ali Aftab Saeed and Urdu columnist Yasir Pirzada to talk political satire, social commentary, comedy’s role in social change and is it difficult to write satire in Pakistan and what to do when the ridiculous is normal, the normal is ridiculous.

The last session of the day was: The Culture Connection – Track II with journalist Buraq Shabbir moderating the session.

The panel which included journalist and filmmaker Beena Sarwar, producer Misbah Shafique and Joyland director Saim Sadiq discussed cross cultural content, the need to collaborate and why culture exchange is important.

This conference is a part of the Peace Journalism program, held by the CEJ in collaboration with US Consulate Karachi, that began in May 2021 and will conclude this month. The program included online workshops on peace and conflict reporting, mobile journalism, data journalism, social media & photojournalism. The program also offered a mentorship with senior journalists.