Press in Pakistan During Pervaiz Mushrraf Regime

In this theory, I consider the response of certain Pakistani press media especially national dailies one each in English & Urdu to the Musharraf rule during a Period of 2000-2007; particularly in emergencies in Pakistan in 2007 and whether media held any influence on public opinion regarding Musharraf. Did armed force conveniently jettison him, to arrange a more favorable cast in the evolving social relationships amongst pillars of state specially Press, this I have covered in my conclusion. My principle research questions are:

1. How certain parts of the Pakistani media covered events and paved the way for Musharraf to hold on to power till 2007?
2. What causal relationship did media have with Musharraf regime loss of power?

With a specific aim in mind-to answer the primary research questions I will reiterate on how and why the Pakistani media transitions during the first decade of 21st century.

There are tantalizing aspects to the role of media in destruction of Musharraf, which makes it such an absorbing point for research.

One such angle is that it was Musharraf himself who permitted media proliferation in any case. By proliferation in this situation, I mean deliberate efforts made by both the regime and private entities to expand the quantity & coverage of media channels. The Pakistani Government set up a regulator known as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) in 2002 to advance and direct the underlying principles of environment in the realm of electronic media. In Spite of the fact that, PEMRA was concerned only with the electronic media, it affected to a substantial degree influenced the mentality and activities of the print media as well.

It was plump picking after the attempt by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to smother the critical print media in Pakistan in 1998 and 1999.12This would suggest that the print media was free, even before Musharraf. However, this may partially be true that struggle against Nawaz regime by Jang group & others have created space, at the critical juncture, when Musharraf came to power. There was greater breathing space for the media to be critical of the administration; as indicated by Hijab Shah at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.

Some sources, in discussions , have the same notion that media was more free to scrutinize the governance under Musharraf's initial days, than past governments. There might be a genuine reasons behind that increased scrutiny: As the size of electronic media & press grew, so did in greater measure, increased the critical analysis of the experts in talk shows . This in bargain also influenced the print media, who likewise could make full use of opportunities for itself as the electronic media. With an all-encompassing electronic media, the print-media may have acquired the wherewithal to astride the electronic media. In this way the effect of the media in the Pakistani's general public, multiplied much more.

I needed not to dig deeper to find that, more often than not, same media houses controlled both the biggest TV-channels and largest Dailies. As and when, needs arise one could expect the activities of the electronic and print media to synchronize. I will dissect the progression of the electronic media in light of the fact that the advancement of the electronic media may have given the print-media more opportunities.