Firing of TV host a victory for Pakistani liberals..?

[HAIDER]

Well i put the question mark, because being a liberal I don't see its victory under my rule of thoughts. What you think ??

ISLAMABAD: In a rare victory for Pakistani liberals, a private TV station decided to fire a popular morning show host after she sparked outrage by running around a public park trying to expose young, unmarried couples hanging out, a taboo in this conservative Muslim country.

Pakistani liberals derided host Maya Khan’s behavior on Twitter and Facebook, comparing it to the kind of moral policing practiced by the Taliban, and started an online petition asking Samaa TV to end this ”irresponsible programming” and apologize.

The company responded Saturday in a letter sent to reporters saying it had decided to fire Khan and her team and cancel her show because she refused to issue an unconditional apology for the Jan. 17 program.

Samaa TV’s decision marked an unusual victory for Pakistan’s beleaguered liberal minority, which has become more marginalized as the country has shifted to the right and whose members have been killed by extremists for standing up for what they believe.

Critics of the program also praised the company’s decision as a positive example of self-regulation by Pakistan’s freewheeling TV industry, which was liberalized in 2000 and has mushroomed from one state-run channel to more than 80 independent ones.

Some shows have been praised for serving the public good by holding powerful officials to account, but many others have been criticized for doing anything that will get ratings, including pandering to populist sentiments at the expense of privacy and sometimes truth.

”Samaa management has set a good example that some others need to follow,” said prominent human rights activist and journalist Hussain Naqi.

During the program in question, Khan and around a dozen other men and women chased down young couples in a seaside park in the southern city of Karachi. Several couples raced away from the group. One young man put on a motorcycle helmet to hide his identity, while his female friend covered her face with a veil.

Khan finally accosted one couple sitting on a bench and pestered them with questions about whether they were married and whether their parents knew they were there. The man said the couple was engaged and asked Khan to shut off her cameras and microphone. She lied and said they were off.

”What is the difference between this kind of media vigilantism and that demonstrated by the Taliban?” said Mahnaz Rahman, a director at the Aurat Foundation, an organization that fights for women’s rights in Pakistan.

Following Khan’s program, one headline in a local paper called the host and the other women who appeared on the show ”Vigil-aunties,” referring to the South Asian term ”aunty” for a bossy older woman.

A petition posted online that criticized Khan’s behavior as ”highly intrusive, invasive and potentially irresponsible” and demanded an official apology attracted more than 5,000 signatures.

Khan reportedly rejected the criticism at first but eventually issued on apology on TV to anyone she may have offended, saying ”it was not my objective to make you cry or hurt you.”

This fell short of the apology that Khan’s bosses demanded, according to a letter written by the chairman of Samaa TV, Zafar Siddiqi. It said Khan and her team would receive termination notices on Jan. 30 and her show would be canceled.

Siddiqi said the company did not ”absolve such behavior irrespective of ratings the show was getting.”

Scores of Pakistanis on Twitter praised Samaa TV’s decision.

”Journalists must never forget the dividing line between public interest & private freedom,” tweeted Najam Sethi, a prominent Pakistani journalist.
dawn.com

 

[Imran Khan]

no its not its victory of civil society and fast social INTERNET media . i have simply victory that she fired because asking stupid questions from innocent pakistanis .for forcing them to talk on camera for lie them that camera is off and it was on . for exposing those who did nothing.

its matter of privacy and stupid maya enter in private places . just answer me one qes maya when couple told you they are marred you should say opps sorry sir rather then ask nikah nama . WTF every one carry nikah nama daily ? its not card it huge paper damn .and at the end who the hell is she to investigate . even in saudi gov announce some years before don't show your documents to those who are without uniform

damn its large then A4 size paper

http://dc395.*******.com/img/DwTMtSf_/s7/Nikah_Nama_Front.jpg

 

[true_indian]

^^ Exactly. Media shouldn't cross its limits.

 

[HAIDER]

Before implementing the slogan of liberalism, their should be some kind of institution for these newly liberated media world in Pakistan. Where from directors to all type of anchors should learn the cultural or social limits. Because in Pakistan every anchor wants to become a clown of media to increase the viewership to increase the channel revenue, if viewership increases it attracts more ads. Just ejecting one anchor doesn't help to resolve the issue, lots of other and bigger issues been discuss by anchor without having authority or knowledge on subject matter.

 

[Imran Khan]

She was fired because what she did affected potentially everybody.

The guy who called for death of ahmedis was not fired.

please yaar don't bring tom jerry its a matter and thats a matter too can we mix all the problems in one thread because of our ego?

 

[American Pakistani]

She was fired because what she did affected potentially everybody.

The guy who called for death of ahmedis was not fired.

Yes thats soo dumb & stupid, she was just exposing those lair youths, who lies to their parents that they going to college/universities bt in actual they are going for dating, & it is nothing wrong in exposing them whereas those who talk for killing of any one(minority or anyone) they are spreading hatred & violence they must be banned plus there should be a trial on them.

 

[Imran Khan]

Yes thats soo dumb & stupid, she was just exposing those lair youths, who lies to their parents that they going to college/universities by in actual they are going for dating, & it is nothing wrong in exposing them whereas those who talk for killing of any one(minority or anyone) they are spreading hatred & violence they must be banned plus there should be a trial on them.

again you doing it wrong yaara . if 5 were students and 5 was real couples then who give them right to generalize all and go ask qes from them ? and then she ask couples there nikah nama ? i hope once at night you go with your wife and police stop you and ask nikah nama then i will see your reaction that time

 

[Major Sam]

again you doing it wrong yaara . if 5 were students and 5 was real couples then who give them right to generalize all and go ask qes from them ? and then she ask couples there nikah nama ? i hope once at night you go with your wife and police stop you and ask nikah nama then i will see your reaction that time

at that time he will go back to home with police and show them their nikkah nama be obedient man

 

[Zarvan]

Sir don't cry you will see soon people with different kind of tactics doing same which Maya tried to do relatively with some peace than these so called liberals will know what a great mistake they made OR you can say blunder My sixth sense is telling this is the silence before the great Storm

 

[z9-ec]

I have recently read the matter in question was filed in court by 4 NGO groups pursuing civil suit against Maya Khan and Samaa TV. We will soon see both in courts.

 

[saiyan0321]

she had no right to ask people whether they were married or engaged and then make judgments saying she didnt think so who dies and made her the morality police over seas nato duniya ki police forcefully bani hai aur yaha ander maya khan #$%#$$ self police bani hai check this youtuber out

 

[livingdead]

She was fired because what she did affected potentially everybody.

The guy who called for death of ahmedis was not fired.

Because "ahmedis are not muslims and they need to pay price of their claims" is an accepted thing in pakistani society.
Where as what this lady was doing, was something new, and I guess wont be acceptable.(although less offensive comparatively)
In any case, any small victory should be cheered.

 

[seethru]

Because "ahmedis are not muslims and they need to pay price of their claims" is an accepted thing in pakistani society.
Where as what this lady was doing, was something new, and I guess wont be acceptable.(although less offensive comparatively)
In any case, any small victory should be cheered.

It is constitutional. 'Paying price' part is a matter of debate though.

 

[LeGenD]

Maya Khan deserved this. She was invading the privacy of other people. She even misbehaved with those who tried to reason with her.

 

[baqai]

I am happy she got fired, she was just one of those self claimed journalists who doens't know a thing or two about what ethics are, she practised hypocrisy to extremes. Who gives her a right to question others when on her own shows she was seen dancing on songs with Na-Mahram's? I mean isn't that kind of a fucked up logic? (pardon my language)

I would had gladly called her a ***** but i am afraid of being sued by animal rights foundation for insulting them :/