A journalist, a true patriot, a huge lover of the Pakistani Army and a gigantic fan of Prime Minister Imran Khan: Ihtisham Ul Haq is the kind of journalist people admire because he prioritises public interest instead of ulterior motives. All of these traits made it compulsory for me to interview him and find out more about his views and opinions.
During the interview I questioned Mr Ihtisham Ul Haq on his support for Prime Minister Imran Khan. More specifically, I asked him whether the PTI government has proved itself to be incompetent on the economy and whether the current administration will be able to complete its full, five year term.
We also conversed about women’s rights and how the condition of women can be improved even further in Pashtun families. While talking about female empowerment, Mr Ihtisham Ul Haq expressed delight at the fact that the condition of women is improving in his home village.
To finish on a lighter note, Mr Ihtisham Ul Haq also gave valuable and vital advice for new and budding journalists. He emphasised the need for hard word and
Interview
Question: You’re a huge fan of Prime Minister Imran Khan, but don’t you think that his government has been massively incompetent on the economy?
As journalists we always stay neutral, but as a Pakistani I have to stand up for what’s good for my country. Imran khan hasn’t failed to stabilize the economy and how can be held responsible when his gov’t came in power just a few months ago? What about those who were ruling this country for decades? Their business was growing day by day while Pakistan was sinking.
Question: In the midst of the opposition parties’ fierce planning, do you think that the current PTI government will be able to complete its full, five-year term?
After the failed planning against the Senate Chairman, I am very confident that the PTI government will survive – and, if they survive these five years then I am more confident that they can clean sweep the 2023 elections. The remaining 4 years are a ‘Do or Die’ situation for PTI.
Additionally, I sense that the economy will improve drastically as Western countries have shown interest in Pakistan again: aid from America has commenced again, China is investing abundantly and the UK is helping Pakistan to recover all the looted money invested here in London as well as in different parts of the UK. However, to survive for the full five years Prime Minister Imran khan will have to fire some of his very close party leaders.
Question: Moving on to cultural issues. In response to the Mohsin Abbas scandal you tweeted that “I will raise my voice for this to change this culture specially in our some Pashtun families”. What will you be doing specifically to campaign for women’s rights?
I am not aware of other societies; however, I am aware of whom I lived with: some of the people in our society treat their wives like slaves like they used to back in the stone age, they look for small excuses to beat their wives and this consequently emits a bad impression on their kids. Their kids then grow up in overwhelming fear and they never get a chance to express what they really desire and what they aim to become in their life.
I have seen this abundantly in our society and have also observed the result of it. I have tried my best to raise my voice, for example, when I was 10 years old I stopped going to my cousin’s house and stopped talking to them because that’s all I could do at that time. But now I have a strong and loud voice on social media which I will use to protect and highlight the issues affecting all the innocent & needy people.
Question: In your view, what do you think politicians can do to improve the situation of women in the country, especially in villages and rural areas?
The only way to improve the situation of women in villages or rural areas is to educate them: provide them with better schools, colleges and universities. I am so pleased that these institutions are getting bigger and better day by day and in my village; we have so many more female doctors and lecturers now.
Question: Turning to the journalism industry itself. Many journalists believe that press freedoms in Pakistan are under threat. Do you agree?
Freedom of speech is not just under threat in Pakistan, in fact it’s under threat around the world. For instance, most people believe that journalists were stopped from airing some live shows and stopped from providing live coverage.
Nonetheless, journalists should also think of what Pakistan is going through. They are first Pakistanis then journalists! Pakistan, as a state, requires the unequivocal support of various media platforms.
One should not engage in criticism for the sake of criticism. additionally one should not hate or despite anyone for petty reasons. In other words, you can’t despise your prime minister just because he’s not favouring you or he’s not giving you time or replying to your emails.
Many journalists who I personally know want attention which they aren’t getting. Then they are using alternative means to seek attention by slandering the state and government. And, when the government rightly stops such baseless and unjustified criticism, then journalists wrongly and unjustly label such moves as censorship and a threat to freedom of speech. To elaborate, freedom of speech is very crucial but only when it’s used for the interest of the public, and not for self-interest or ulterior motives.
Question: According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 61 journalists have been killed since 1992. What provisions do you think the government should implement to protect the lives and livelihood of journalists?
No developed and strongly democratic country, where the rule of law is above everything else, is providing any extra security to journalists. The rule of law is always the most important mechanism in any given country, which has the power to protect everyone including journalists.
However, in Pakistan – where connections to so-called important and powerful people are above the law – journalists in such conditions require extra security and protection.
Question: To finish on a lighter note, what advice would you like to give to new and budding journalists?
The most important trait in Journalism is to be everywhere and to be first to break the news! This crucial trait will always put you on the screens and in the papers – and, this is from where you will start enjoying your work.
Moreover, the most important advice to all young journalists is that you should never use any negativity and lies for fame. You will get attention for that negativity and lies but that won’t last for long and will damage your prospective reputation. Additionally, people will stop trusting you if you rely on negativity lies to generate your fame. In other words, there are no shortcuts but there’s also no giving up.
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Interview conducted by Muhammed Raza Hussain. He is an award-winning writer: the Extra-Mile winner of the News Quest Young Reporter Scheme 2014 and received a ‘Talent for Writing’ certificate by Young Writers. Twitter @MuhammedRaza786 | Instagram: @M.Raza.H_
