I cannot help harbouring tremendous admiration for all those journalists, anchorpersons and analysts who don’t hesitate to unleash their ‘patriotic spirit’ on occasions when it is most needed. In the context of the present scenario (created due to Kalbhushan bombshell) the impassioned and highly logical stance adopted by Dr. Moeed Pirzada in particular and some others (like Dr. Shahid Masood, Rauf Klasra, Kamran Khan, Dr. Daanish, Kashif Abbasi and Sami Ibrahim etc) in general deserves this nation’s gratitude. None of them can be ‘charged’ of being ‘anti-democracy’ and ‘pro-military’. Their very nature of responsibilities requires a coercion-free media in which there should be ample room for analysts to disagree with the government, and it goes without saying that a military rule is much less conducive to ‘freedom of expression’ than a civil one. Yet an impressive number of our media luminaries have defied the civil authoritarianism of Mian’s government and listened to the call of their conscience. Mian’s government has failed to unleash ‘Absar Alam-Headed PEMRA’ on the media which has succeeded in setting the tone of Pakistan’s foreign policy in the post-Kalbhushan scenario.
Patriotism simply has to be the highest virtue of a person— be he or she a journalist. Nothing is higher than Nationhood—- not even the State— certainly not the government.
We are a Nation first and our interests as a Nation are supreme.
Pakistan cannot afford to let Kalbhushans function freely on its soil just for the reason that its Prime Minister is consumed by ‘a strange longing’ to befriend the greatest enemy of our nationhood.
