The role and impact of media in Pakistan has evolved significantly over time. Originally established to promote the idea of Pakistan pre-independence, media laws and oversight were tightened under successive military rulers Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq. However, under Musharraf in 2002, private electronic media flourished as regulations were liberalized. While media has brought greater awareness of rights and exposed corruption, there are also concerns it sometimes prioritizes crises over good news or exploits freedoms for profit over national interests. Both print and electronic media also show contradictory approaches at times.

1. Role of media in Pakistan

2. What is “MEDIA”?

3. Media in simple
• Being in-between
• A bridge that connects you to the world
Experiencing material world

5. Before Independence
• The media in Pakistan dates back to pre-partition years
of British India, where a number of newspapers were
established to promote a communalistic or partition
agenda.
• newspaper Dawn, founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and
first published in 1941, and The conservative
newspaper, Nawa-i-waqt, established in 1940
• Pakistani print media came into existence with a mission
to promulgate the idea of Pakistan, which was seen as the
best national option for the Muslim minority in British
India and as a form of self-defence against suppression
from the Hindu majority.

6. Ayub Khan
• The first step in introducing media laws in the
country was done by the then military ruler and
President Ayub Khan who promulgated the Press
and Publication Ordinance (PPO) in 1962.
• Ayub Khan nationalised large parts of the press
and took over one of the two largest news
agencies.
• Pakistan Radio and Television, which was
established in 1964

7. Zia-ul-Haq
• More draconian additions were made to the
PPO during the reign of General Zia-Ul-
Haq in the 1980s.
• According to these new amendments, the
publisher would be liable and prosecuted if
a story was not to the liking of the
administration even if it was factual and of
national interest

8. Prevaiz Musharaf
• From 2002, under General Pervez Musharaf,
the Pakistani media faced a decisive
development that would lead to a boom in
Pakistani electronic media and paved the way
to it gaining political clout.
• New liberal media laws broke the state's
monopoly on the electronic media.
• TV broadcasting and FM radio licenses were
issued to private media outlets.

9. • A system of regulation conducive to freedom
of expression, pluralism and diversity of the
media.
• Media as a platform for democratic discourse
• Increase in the number of news channels
• Advancement in social media

11. • Sense Of Responsibility.
• Responsible Part Of Nation.
• Responsible Citizen.

12. Awareness Of Rights
 Enormous Role of Media
 Awareness About Rights
 Human Rights Violation

13. Availability of justice
• Check & Balance
• Role In Exposing Corruption
– The Pakistan Steel Mill Rs. 26 Billion Scam.
– PIA Corruption.
– Rental Power Projects.
– Hajj Corruption Cases.
• Voice Of Normal Citizen.

14. Faster Information Interchange

15. MEDIA AS AN INDUSTRY

16. Exploitation of freedom of speech
“Whoever
has the
power,
controls
the reins”

17. Arousing Aggression
• Promotion of aggression arousing factors
instead of the whole picture.
• Continuous show of frustrating news that
bears no fruit other than aggravating the
situation further.
• Karachi riots, Young Doctor’s Association riot.
• Talk shows increase aggression instead of
clearing issues being discussed.

18. Emphasis on crisis

19. Instead of Good

21. Work for the sake of profit
 Promotion of any news without
consideration of consequences to
the country.
 News for the sake of news.
 Promotion of irrelevant events
while ignoring the important
events

22. Westernization
 Onslaught of western
media and culture.
 Westernization
but no
modernization.
 Promotion of foreign
media instead of local
media and talent

23. Contradiction
 Contradictory behaviors
Huge differences in the approaches of print and electronic
media while doing basically the same thing.
Promotion of content which is highly criticized at some time
but then
“Profits are what we work for”
 Pak – India conflicts yet promotion of their movies in
Pakistan.
 Approach regarding Pak – America relations