I NEVER met Syed Saleem Shahzad. But like all journalists in Pakistan and elsewhere in this globalised, interconnected world, I am saddened, alarmed and angry at his killing.
Sadly, Mr Shahzad is not the first victim of the spiral of violence, terrorism and intolerance that has gripped Pakistan for the last decade. But I hope and pray that he is the last.
My original column this week was, unusually, going to be an upbeat assessment of the state of the world — from the arrest of Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic to the power of the Internet and the rise of emerging nations. I may still write it one day. But not now. For the moment, like journalists the world over, I am mourning the death of an exceptionally courageous colleague. I am also mourning Pakistan’s continuing free fall into despair and darkness. Just when you think, the state of the country cannot get any worse, another tragic suicide bombing, assault on a naval base and massacre of innocent people, signal that the situation is, in fact, deteriorating fast. Pakistan is fortunate to have journalists, writers, civil society activists and others whose courage, determination and faith make them shine on both the domestic and global stage. These men and women are rightly admired and acclaimed both at home and on the international stage. The Pakistani diaspora also continues to produce remarkable people.
In recent months, I have been reflecting on Pakistan and Pakistanis’ ability to cope with upheaval and havoc. At first glance, this is remarkable. But it is also alarming. I often wonder: is it resilience in the face of adversity, grace under fire? Is it about being brave and strong, taking things in stride? Or is it indifference? After so much blood and tears, are Pakistanis losing the power to be shocked, to protest and to say “enough is enough”?
In recent years, Pakistanis did demand an end to the abuse of power and authoritarianism when they drove former president Pervez Musharraf out of power. But strangely, that momentum appears to have run aground. Even as the country hurtles from accident to tragedy, there is a mood of stoicism in the air which would be admirable if it were not so strange. After all, across the Arab world, demands for change and reform are stirring people long considered to be passive.
I have often underlined to friends and colleagues that the latest dramatic event in Pakistan is, in fact, a ‘wake-up call’ that will finally trigger change, a ‘red line’ that has been crossed, and that ‘things will never be the same again’. This year, I said that after Asiya Bibi was accused of blasphemy, the governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer was assassinated by one of his bodyguards and the minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead.
I said Pakistan was going to turn a corner and people would stop idolising the army and the security forces over their unexplained role in the Osama Bin Laden affair. I repeated that this was the civilian leadership’s chance to assert itself.
Pakistan was finally going to turn over a new leaf. But there have been too many false dawns, too many hopes shattered by incompetent leaders — and too many mistruths peddled by an army and security apparatus with an uncanny power to survive repeated shame and scandal.
To be fair, other countries appear to be in a similar state of denial. And investigative journalists face intimidation and worse in many countries. Russia, for instance, where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s nationalist rhetoric and macho image continue to impress the general public — and where journalists live in fear of their lives.
China’s low tolerance threshold for dissent continues to tarnish its reputation as one of the world’s most dynamic emerging powers. Frontal criticism of the government remains taboo in China but independent journalists in China are increasingly using the Internet to get their views across. In Europe, Italian journalists complain of the stranglehold of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the media.
In fact, as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has warned, more than 251 journalists in 13 countries were killed “with impunity” in the past decade. Across the world, the unpunished murders lead to self-censorship and press silence, the committee said, adding that Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka were the worst environments for journalists.
“The targeted killing of journalists serves as a silencing message to others, ensuring that sensitive issues are not subjected to public scrutiny,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ executive director Joel Simon. “Many journalists who were murdered had been threatened beforehand but were left unprotected. Governments can either address anti-press violence or see murders continue and self-censorship spread,” said Mr Simon.Pakistan still has an opportunity to correct some of the damage done to its reputation by making sure that Mr Shahzad’s killers are brought to justice. I have always been impressed by the courage, determination and sense of humour of my colleagues in Pakistan. I admire many of them, knowing that I could not cope with the daily trials, threats and dangers they face. It’s easy to write from safe havens in the West, where yes, sometimes, you do get criticised and taken to task for your views by people in power. But where, at the end of the day, you can sleep safely in your bed.
The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.
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