Reema Shaukat
Antagonists of Pakistan are no more veiled. They keep on using different means to harm Pakistan. India is on top list to back malicious propagandas and support such people who are always ready to spread venom against Pakistan.Blame game on Pakistan is not new. A homeland of peace lovers has always been under intrigues and repeatedly assessed as terror producing state. Well, Pakistan is truly paying the price for more than a decade to be part of war on terror which was inflicted upon her. Unfortunately, after losing much through human losses and infrastructure still Pakistan is held responsible for instability in the region. War against terror was waged actually to end terrorism but history articulates that this wrong decision twisted terror more than elimination. So that’s why often this war against terrorism is now referred as war for terrorism by some critics. USA and its allies never realized what could be the implications of this war in the long run. Understanding it as a wrong decision after almost one and a half decade and still believing that they have given peace to region is a wrong assumption. Likewise, western media particularly never understood the security dynamics of Pakistan. For them Pakistan today is a country which breeds extremism. Time and again foreign media is found active in propagating against Pakistan with their agenda to destabilize an exemplary country fighting successfully against extremism.
On 10th of January, 2017 a blast in Kandahar was one among three terror attacks that jolted Afghanistan, all on the same day. The other two attacks, in Kabul and Herat, resulted in the death of 38 and 11 people respectively. Interestingly, the Afghan Taliban took responsibility for the Kabul and Herat attacks, but denied having any role in the Kandahar incident, blaming it instead on what they called “internal local rivalry”. In this Kandahar incident, a UAE delegation, led by the Ambassador Juma Mohammad Abdullah Al Kaavi, was in a meeting with Kandahar Governor Humayun Azizi when the bomb, suspected to have been hidden in a sofa, detonated. Nine people died while sixteen were injured in this incident including the ambassador.UAE government while expressing grief on incident mentioned that this happening will not affect UAE and Afghanistan relations and UAE will continue assisting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rasheed Al Maktum, prime minister of the UAE and Dubai’s ruler, while offering condolences to the families of the dead said, “There is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help others.” This was the first time UAE nationals were targeted inside Afghanistan. But look at the shrewdness of Indian media that ANI(Indian news agency) published this news and blamed Pakistan and its agencies for Kandahar blast as Afghan media reported it involvement of inside elements and they while mentioning incident put blame on Pakistan. Pity on our media that one of leading newspaper of Pakistan published this fabricated story of Indian media without verification and authentication, thus giving an impression to rest of people that they know well such types of news and they are more genuine. In the news titled as, “UAE to rethink ties with Pakistan after killing of five diplomats” it stated that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reported to be seriously having a rethink of its relations with Pakistan after the killing of its five diplomats and six senior Afghan officials in a terror attack inside the Kandahar governor’s compound on January 10. This fake news was spread by Indian media and no confirmation was received by UAE officials in Pakistan regarding this news. However Afghan media also reported that Kandahar Police Chief Abdul Raziq, told the media categorically that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Haqqani Network were behind the incident. This news clearly indicates malicious intents of Afghanistan and India for Pakistan.
Categorically speaking, Pakistan and UAE both hold cordial relations since formation of UAE and both countries progressed into wide-ranging co-operation in various fields. UAE has been a major donor of economic assistance to Pakistan. UAE has been appreciative of Pakistan’s contribution to the evolution of key institutions in the Emirates such as armed forces, police, health and education, and has reciprocated in the same friendly manner to Pakistan.The UAE has always been among the first countries to deliver humanitarian relief and assistance to Pakistan in times of need. In 2011, it launched the Pakistan Assistance Programme for building schools, colleges, and hospitalsin Pakistan. Simultaneously, entrepreneurs from Pakistan are warmly welcomed in the UAE, with many of them having prospered in the country’s favourable business environment. Recently, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development funded the UAE-Pakistan Friendship Road, linking North and South Waziristan. So, the relations between UAE and Pakistan though having difference of opinion on some Middle East crises have never raised to an extent that UAE needs to rethink about its relations with Pakistan and that too for an incident that occurred in Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan must stop blame game as it will add fuel to fire of instability and will affect efforts for peace in region.
A responsible journalism has certain principles or features which are to be followed if one aspires to unveil themselves into the public information sphere and therefore have to show responsibility in how they use information. There are hundreds of codes of conduct, charters and statements made by media and professional groups outlining the principles, values and obligations of the craft of journalism. A matter of warning for those so called Pakistanis who are bent upon bringing defame and libel to Pakistan and its institutions must remember that it’s in safe hands and they will never let the agenda of covert and overt enemies to succeed with their nefarious mission. The only purpose of bringing story in one of biggest newspaper was to create disturbance among masses and mistrust among pillars of state. Mainstream print and electronic media both have the pivotal obligation to shape national response and bring unity and harmony among masses in lieu of national policies. Free press must not be misunderstood or misused at the cost of national interest and nation’s integrity. Therefore, considering it as a national responsibility, grilled stories by opponent’s media must be chopped and veracity be maintained.
