The most recent episode of “Meray Mutabiq” with Dr. Shahid Masood was yet another display of just how much Dr. Masood enjoys one-sided, deceitful “debate.” To be sure, he is not alone by any means — the nation’s media is saturated with “fundos,” a term used to describe narrow-minded characters parading as journalists. His show, however, is an exercise in frustration, as it gives other ignorant commentators a platform.
This episode is question tackled the issue of the Kerry-Lugar bill and the National Reconciliation Order. Dr. Masood invited fellow ranter, Ansar Abbasi and between the two of them, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira barely got a word in.
The facts remain the same: Kerry-Lugar will help the country of Pakistan by improving the general quality of life for all her people. The funds will go towards police training, health clinics, education, etc thereby improving economic opportunities for all. Slowly but surely, extremism will be wiped out. We can all be thankful the chorus of doomsayers and conspiracy theorists is dying down, and cooler heads are realizing the Kerry-Lugar aid package is not an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty but rather an attempt to help a friend.
Insofar as the National Reconciliation Order goes, this is not a new subject. It has been around for years, Gen. Musharraf even supported it in his time. The fact is, there has always been a history of fabricated cases against the PPP. Saifur Rehman the then Chairman of Ehtesab Bureau and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are on record saying this, and that should shed light on this political reality. Many cases have hung in the courts for a decade or longer — that is absurd! We as a nation need to move past this ugly political culture and into an open-minded fair discussion. The years of political wrangling has kept the country backward. It is about time that we ignore the trivial issues and do something concrete for the betterment of its people.
What we see on “Meray Mutabiq” is a snapshot of ignorance. The malicious perspective of vindictive individuals is a real shame — as journalists, they should be fair and logical. Dr. Masood and others like him do Pakistan absolutely no good.
