Hamid Mir Says Media Faces Pressure From Multiple Institutions and Politicians
ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir has commented on media freedom, civilian supremacy and the ongoing political tensions between the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Mir said the current pressure on the media was not the work of any single institution or individual. He said multiple institutions and politicians were collectively holding the media responsible for things it had not done, arguing that the media had historically remained an easy target.
Referring to past political developments, Mir recalled that when Imran Khan was prime minister and the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) law was introduced, Shehbaz Sharif and other political leaders used to criticise the media for supporting Khan.
Mir said the situation had now changed, with Shehbaz Sharif serving as prime minister while new restrictions were allegedly being imposed on the media. He said the PTI was also unhappy with the situation, while those in positions of authority were dissatisfied as well.
He added that the current phase would eventually pass and said journalists would remember it.
In another post, Mir commented on the recurring tensions between the federal and provincial governments. He said that, as a journalist, he was witnessing a familiar pattern.
Recalling an earlier period when Shehbaz Sharif was chief minister of Punjab and the Pakistan Peoples Party was in power at the federal level, Mir said Sharif had considered protests against the federal government legitimate.
He said then-federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira had levelled against the Punjab government allegations similar to those the federal government is now making against the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
Mir added that Shehbaz Sharif had defended himself at the time using arguments similar to those being made today by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
“Only the characters and locations have changed, but history remains the same and continues to repeat itself,” Mir said in his analysis.
