Pak ex-MP blames media for inept coverage

Neeraj Bagga

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 22

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central executive committee member, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad, a former MP from Kasur, fears that historic handing over of 57 boats of Indian fishermen by the Pakistan government to India may not happen. He cited the inept coverage of the incident involving Pakistani boat exploding off the Gujarat coast and World Cup matches as the reason.

He aired these views while addressing a joint meeting of members of Folklore Research Academy from India and Pakistan held to release the book “India, Pakistan, Afghanistan - Trinity of peace in South Asia” here today.

He said the unfortunate episode of explosion of an alleged Pakistani boat off the Gujarat coast did not create favourable sentiments among the Pakistanis. Besides, he disliked the reporting of the match between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Cricket World Cup by the electronic news channel. He said, “In contravention to the norms, cricket matches are being reported akin to a war reporting.”

He said Indian establishment was enjoying new found close proximity with the USA and the latter was using the former to counter China’s influence. Pakistan had already enjoyed it and was paying its cost, he added.

Chief executive officer, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Karamat Ali said there was a need to go beyond India and Pakistan and focus on the entire South Asia region for its holistic growth. He said, “Major parts of the world are working together to ameliorate sufferings.”

He expressed his surprise over non-raising of the issue of snapping of bilateral talks between India and Pakistan in the Indian Parliament. Comparing it with Pakistan, he said, there it was understood as the Army could ask the relevance and motive of raising the issue.

Karamat Ali suggested that India and Pakistan must jointly work to re-develop Afghanistan and shed the attitude of looking at each other with suspicion.

A Mumbai-based columnist Jatin Desai said differences between India and Pakistan were not allowing the SAARC to realise its true potential. He said, “Once again a glimmer of hope of resuming stalled talk is seen with the proposed returning of boats of Indian fishermen by Pakistan.”

A noted Punjabi journalist Satnam Manak of Hind Pak Dosti Manch expressed his displeasure over indifference of youth in political affairs. He said contemporary youth were drifting away from making political opinion. Similarly they were not taking interest in mobilising opinion on subjects like harmonious relations between India and Pakistan, he added.

The book “Trinity of peace in South Asia” was edited by Ramesh Yadav and Dr Charanjit Singh Nabha. It has articles on India, Pakistan and Afghanistan contibuted by journalists, economists, and educationists. Its preface is written by Mohammad Tasheen.