Whoever controls the media -- the images -- controls the culture- Allen Ginsberg, American poet and author
Media is a kind of platform for the nation to learn and experience the cultural, political and social changes around them. Therefore, it is the duty of the media to make effective use of this platform and influence the nation to move towards a progressive destination. The media of a country depicts its culture, its norms, beliefs, lifestyles of its people. So it is always a good opportunity to employ this medium to promote one’s identity to the world and get recognition among the world.
We have seen Pakistani Media evolve with time over the past few years. Ideally it is a great change in the history of Pakistan’s media that we have access to a lot of resources for information or entertainment. In view of the current situation of Pakistan’s Media, it has some shortcomings which need to be addressed. We know that nowadays electronic media is one of the most influential medium for our nation. There are a lot of news and entertainment channels providing us information as well as amusement at our doorstep. These channels tend to influence the thinking of a common man. People seek news from them and develop their opinions on their bases. Unfortunately, these channels present such pictures in the name of “truth” and “the real side” that instead of providing some solution; they create psychological problems and increase the worries of common man. There is no such news or information which positively affects the thinking of a person. There’s always bad news or discussions which are endless leading nowhere.
It is the agenda of these channels to provide some spicy news so that people prefer to watch their channel. There’s a race going on among them that whoever puts the breaking news first is the most efficient channel regardless of the sensitivity of the issue being discussed. When it comes to talk shows, there’s always an element of harassment of the guests/ politicians. The show looks like a fish market depicting the ugly picture of our country’s so called literate people. There are no such programs which provide some informative stuff or to guide our young generation for their future. There are only talks on hatred, political instability, murders, injustice, blasts etc. The print media is also doing nothing but just spreading anxiety among the common man. The newspapers are half filled with advertisements and the rest are just the hollow promises and political statements of our great leaders. Yet still they are comparatively performing well than the electronic media.
The entertainment channels of Pakistan are also flourishing well. However the strong inspiration of our neighboring country’s culture is invading our cultural values. The adoption of western fashion trends, propagation of elite living styles and trends, and unnecessary show off of expensive wears creates psychological pressure on the deprived segment of the society. Our cultural values seem to be lost somewhere. The occurrence of private channels has introduced freedom in such a way that has increased vulgarity in our shows. There is strong effect of west as well as Indian media on our people which is ruining our inherited beliefs. The media is the strongest source of inspiration for this generation therefore; it should be their duty to retain our beliefs and values. The media should stop the occupation of other cultures upon us. They should promote our cultural and social aspects so that our generations inherit them.
Media is considered to be the fourth pillar of the stare. Our media is at present only promoting an awful image of Pakistan. The point to be considered is that we should promote the positive image of Pakistan. The current situation of country has badly affected Pakistan’s image in the eyes of the world. People abroad consider us a terrorist nation and a nation losing its identity. We need to change the world’s opinion about our country and that can only be done through media since it is the voice of a nation. Apart from that Pakistan is a country which holds strategic importance for many countries, therefore, we should take advantage of this importance and should promote ourselves as a disciplined and rich cultured country. We should show the world that how blissful we are that we are enriched with such a beautiful country, having so many resources and cultural mix. We can benchmark our neighboring countries such as India and China. They are also rich in cultures and how they always promote their cultures and spread the message of peace and friendship. We have very powerful tool of media which can be used effectively to project a positive image of Pakistan and make ourselves proud as a nation.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Positive Pakistan!!!
The moment the name Pakistan comes in mind, one can hardly think of anything other than terrorism, corrupt political system, and poor economy possessing crucial nuclear plant. Unfortunately this deteriorating and pessimistic situation of this third world country is more highlighted both by the international as well as local media. However the fact is that the country has come a long way and despite facing such threatening conditions due to its critical geo-political environment, Pakistan has done remarkable developments in the field of arts, science and technology.
The country possesses talented and hard working human resource that has made significant contributions in their relevant fields with in the limited available resources. The status of being the first Islamic state as a nuclear power is one credit that the nation gives to its great scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Other than that the country is also progressing well in science and technology under the guidance and support of some great scientists such as Dr. Samar Mubarakmand who is a pioneer of introducing fiber optic technology in Pakistan.
Other than science the country has gone through a media revolution. Although it happened during a military regime, yet the emergence of electronic media was a great change in Pakistan’s history. Media being the fourth pillar of state emerged as a powerful tool in changing the society’s views and opinions. It educated people about their society and also served as an entertainment medium for the public. It is the power of media that has brought people out of their homes and question the odds in their political, social and economic system. People are now aware of each and every aspect through media and they are no more reluctant about their country’s circumstances and their societal issues.
Although the country’s literacy rate is said to be one of the lowest in the world yet the country is progressing in terms of producing educated youth. The country is producing more than 100,000 graduates and informatics graduates a year. In addition the trend of speaking English is also taking momentum in Pakistan. In fact it is ranked as the 9th English speaking nation in the world and third largest in Asia.
The higher education has evolved and there are now more than 130 Universities and degree awarding institutions in both public and private sector. It will not be wrong to say that there is an educational revolution in the country. We have got some very bright and shining students who have not only made their mark in the country but have set records in the world.
Consider the name of Arifa Kareem (late), who set the world record of being the youngest Microsoft certified professional at the age of 9, Ali Moin Nawazish, who secured 22 As in his A-levels exam and set a world record. Recently another bright Pakistani girl named Sitara Brooj Akbar also set a world record of being the youngest Pakistani candidate of IELTS who successfully scored 7.5 and also passed six O’ level subjects at the age of just 11 years.
There are many more examples of Pakistanis in different fields who have proved that their country is competitive in every field. Let it be education, business, IT, Science, fashion, arts or entertainment, the country is rolling on the road of progress and development in every way. It is this skilled, determined and dedicated human resource of Pakistan, that despite so much hardship and lack of resources, the country has been successful in proving itself as a developing country.
Therefore if provided with strong leadership and resources are put to proper utilization, this nation has the potential to put the country on the the path of progress and development.
The country possesses talented and hard working human resource that has made significant contributions in their relevant fields with in the limited available resources. The status of being the first Islamic state as a nuclear power is one credit that the nation gives to its great scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Other than that the country is also progressing well in science and technology under the guidance and support of some great scientists such as Dr. Samar Mubarakmand who is a pioneer of introducing fiber optic technology in Pakistan.
Other than science the country has gone through a media revolution. Although it happened during a military regime, yet the emergence of electronic media was a great change in Pakistan’s history. Media being the fourth pillar of state emerged as a powerful tool in changing the society’s views and opinions. It educated people about their society and also served as an entertainment medium for the public. It is the power of media that has brought people out of their homes and question the odds in their political, social and economic system. People are now aware of each and every aspect through media and they are no more reluctant about their country’s circumstances and their societal issues.
Although the country’s literacy rate is said to be one of the lowest in the world yet the country is progressing in terms of producing educated youth. The country is producing more than 100,000 graduates and informatics graduates a year. In addition the trend of speaking English is also taking momentum in Pakistan. In fact it is ranked as the 9th English speaking nation in the world and third largest in Asia.
The higher education has evolved and there are now more than 130 Universities and degree awarding institutions in both public and private sector. It will not be wrong to say that there is an educational revolution in the country. We have got some very bright and shining students who have not only made their mark in the country but have set records in the world.
Consider the name of Arifa Kareem (late), who set the world record of being the youngest Microsoft certified professional at the age of 9, Ali Moin Nawazish, who secured 22 As in his A-levels exam and set a world record. Recently another bright Pakistani girl named Sitara Brooj Akbar also set a world record of being the youngest Pakistani candidate of IELTS who successfully scored 7.5 and also passed six O’ level subjects at the age of just 11 years.
There are many more examples of Pakistanis in different fields who have proved that their country is competitive in every field. Let it be education, business, IT, Science, fashion, arts or entertainment, the country is rolling on the road of progress and development in every way. It is this skilled, determined and dedicated human resource of Pakistan, that despite so much hardship and lack of resources, the country has been successful in proving itself as a developing country.
Therefore if provided with strong leadership and resources are put to proper utilization, this nation has the potential to put the country on the the path of progress and development.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Where is Humanity???
In the past few days I have been hearing, watching, reading several disturbing news and events portraying the dirty picture of the society we live in. Every time i get to know about some rape case, kidnapping, slaughtering, murdering, I just wonder if it is even being done by a human? I don't understand where do we stand? My head just gets jumbled up with zillions of questions. Finally I just ask one question that are we really humans??? Being civilized, educated, social, and most importantly being a Muslim is a far cry when such incidents and events happen in our society. What are we doing? What is the point of us being a civilized, educated, independent and modernized society? We keep blaming the Government institutions for not doing their work properly and accuse them for the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. But what are we doing as individuals? Are we sincere to ourselves? Are we doing our duties with responsibility at personal level?
Societies are made by individuals and the acts of individuals ultimately paint the picture of the society. We as individuals have left humanity far behind. We do not care much as we have become materialistic in every way. We have left our religion and kept it for the sake of dua only. This is the only reason that we as Muslims are breaking and all the evils are rising and taking over us. We try every other option to deal with the situations but we seldom think about our own deeds and seek the guidance from Quran and Sunnah.
We have stopped thinking as Muslims as we are so much lost in worldly matters that religion has just become a minor element of our life. Islam is the only religion in the world with complete code of life. But like other believers we have restricted it's role as one's private matter. We have limited its horizons to ibadaat only. We have not only lost our imaan but also our humanity with it. Finally I want to quote this ayat from Quran which we have forgot and thus are having terrible times in our lives. "And hold firmly to the rope of ALLAH all together and do not become DIVIDED." (aali'Imran, #103).
Societies are made by individuals and the acts of individuals ultimately paint the picture of the society. We as individuals have left humanity far behind. We do not care much as we have become materialistic in every way. We have left our religion and kept it for the sake of dua only. This is the only reason that we as Muslims are breaking and all the evils are rising and taking over us. We try every other option to deal with the situations but we seldom think about our own deeds and seek the guidance from Quran and Sunnah.
We have stopped thinking as Muslims as we are so much lost in worldly matters that religion has just become a minor element of our life. Islam is the only religion in the world with complete code of life. But like other believers we have restricted it's role as one's private matter. We have limited its horizons to ibadaat only. We have not only lost our imaan but also our humanity with it. Finally I want to quote this ayat from Quran which we have forgot and thus are having terrible times in our lives. "And hold firmly to the rope of ALLAH all together and do not become DIVIDED." (aali'Imran, #103).
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