Facing flak for allegedly trying to subdue the media, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has reiterated his support for a free and independent press, albeit within certain "parameters."
The country is in the midst of a political crisis sparked by the suspension of the country's chief justice, and Musharraf's administration is accused by international media watchdogs, human rights activists and opposition parties of pressuring the country's media in the coverage of the turmoil.
Speaking at the launch of Pakistan's first English news channel "DawnNews" here last night, Musharraf said a vibrant, independent and free media is necessary for a country to be ranked as a progressive, dynamic state.
Claiming that his government had pursued a policy of giving more freedom to the media, the president said he always believed that a free press is imperative to promote democracy.
Musharraf also pointed out that there were 50 television channels and about 100 radio stations broadcasting in the country presently, compared to only one television channel - PTV - in 2000.
"We took the decision to grant freedom to the media so that everyone can be held accountable and there is more transparency in running of government affairs," Musharraf said, while recalling that initially there had been opposition against granting licenses for private channels.
Reminding the audience that freedom and the responsibility must go together, Musharraf said while the media should criticise any wrong policies and decisions of the government, "this should be within certain parameters which could be defined through a broad government policy or through self-imposed code of conduct and ethics."
Musharraf advised the media to create an environment where people can feel secure, free, proud and optimistic.
The president also spoke in detail about the measures taken by the government to bring about improvement in all sectors including Education, Health, Infrastructure Development, Communications and Information Technology.
He said there has been an increase of 10 times in the overall production of goods as well as savings of the people, which is reflective of the manifold increase in the purchasing power of the common man, mostly in the rural areas.
The purchasing power went up because of availability of employment and better returns from the agriculture as well as small businesses of the people, the president pointed out.
The inflow of USD 5.98 billion Foreign Direct Investment in the current fiscal, boom in the use of mobile phones, fast spread of Internet connectivity and establishment of dispensaries across the country indicate that the country is moving on the right path of progress and prosperity, he said.
