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Pakistan
THE MEDIA
The press, television, and radio are vital forces in Pakistan's
political life. The importance of the press was evident even before
independence. In prepartition India, Muslim journalism flourished
until the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-58, when many Muslim newspapers
were shut down (see The Seeds of Muslim Nationalism , ch. 1).
Between 1857 and the Government of India Act of 1935, which gave
a large measure of self-government to Indians, none of the major
newspapers were owned or edited by Muslims. However, when Indian
Muslims began to organize and rally to the political platform
of the All-India Muslim League, concerted efforts were made to
develop a strong press to support the Muslim national cause. A
number of Muslim-owned newspapers were established, including
Azad, a Bengali-language daily founded in Calcutta in
1936. Two English-language newspapers, Morning News in
Calcutta and Dawn in Delhi, began publishing in 1942.
In the late 1930s, the first Indian Muslim news agency, the Orient
Press of India, was founded.
On the eve of independence, however, only four major Muslimowned
newspapers existed in the area constituting the new state of Pakistan:
Pakistan Times, Zamindar, Nawa-i- Waqt,
and Civil and Military Gazette, all located in Lahore.
A number of Muslim newspapers moved to Pakistan. Dawn
began publication as a daily in Karachi, then the federal capital,
on the day of independence in 1947. Other publications were also
shifted to Pakistan including the Morning News and the
Urdu-language dailies Jang and Anjam.
In the early 1990s, there are over 1,500 newspapers and journals
in the country, including publications in Urdu, English, and in
regional languages. The major national daily newspapers in Urdu
are Jang, Nawa-i-Waqt, Jasarat, Masawat,
Mashriq, and Hurriyat. The major national dailies
in English are Dawn, Pakistan Times, Muslim,
Morning News, Nation, Frontier Post,
and News. Herald is an important English-language
magazine.
Newspapers and periodicals are owned by either private individuals,
joint-stock companies, or trusts. The National Press Trust, a
nonprofit organization that is a major newspaper publisher, was
established by businessmen in 1964 and taken over by the government
in 1972. There are several other large newspaper and journal publishers.
The two major news agencies in Pakistan are the Associated Press
of Pakistan and Pakistan Press International. The Associated Press
of Pakistan was taken over by the government in 1960. Pakistan
Press International is a private joint-stock company.
Radio also has been an effective method of communication because
the literacy rate is low and other methods of communication are
sometimes not available. The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation
has played a key role in disseminating information and transmitting
government policies as well as promoting Islamic principles and
their application. Another state-run organization, Azad Kashmir
Radio, broadcasts in Azad Kashmir. Television, although newer,
has also been effective, with coverage in the mid-1990s reaching
more than 80 percent of the population. Until August 1990, the
only television channel was the government-owned Pakistan Television
Corporation (PTV). At that time, however, another television channel,
People's Television Network was established (see Telecommunications
, ch. 3). People's Television Network brought Cable News Network
(CNN) to Pakistan.
The media played an active role in all three national elections
from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Although the government-owned
radio and PTV presented a progovernment line, the establishment
of People's Television Network ended government monopoly of television
news. In the case of the print media, government-controlled newspapers
tended to express the government's viewpoint, but the large private
sector of print journalism furnished a much greater variety of
opinion.
The imposition of regulations based on the sharia was also reflected
in the media. For example, the government required all women to
wear dupattas, or scarfs, over their heads on newscasts
and other PTV programs. Such restrictions, for instance, prevented
the women's swimming events of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games
from being telecast to Pakistan because the swimsuits were regarded
as immodest. Radio censors also ordered a number of controversial
songs dropped from broadcasting.
Data as of April 1994
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