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| Painful to know that govt has imposed economic sanctions on Early Times | | ** It is a form of indirect censorship | | Dear editor,
It is painful to know that the Omar-led coalition government has imposed economic sanctions on Early Times by way of stopping the flow of advertisement to it. It sounds surprising, especially when it is a stakeholder in the democratisation process of which press is the Fourth Pillar. It cannot afford to gag the freedom of press.
How can the government behave like an autocrat? It is unreasonable on the part of the government, which earns from taxes on individuals and business organisations, including the newspapers, to withhold advertisement from any media institution.
The government in itself is not a profit-making body. It only survives on the taxes imposed on its citizens from time to time. It does not have resources of its own. Its resources come from citizens
with diverse political views and inclinations. As such, a political decision to declare an advertising ban on any media institution is unjust.
The money, which is given to newspapers for publishing advertisements, is not the government money. It comes from the taxes collected from the people.And, the reason, cited for unofficially closing the doors of advertisement on the newspaper, is very absurd. It is paying for its
anti-establishment writings. How unfortunate! Instead of promoting a newspaper, which does its journalistic duty of telling the government through its reports where its different functionaries
were going wrong, it has imposed economic sanctions on it. Isn't it shameful?
For a healthy democracy, press ought to be allowed to flourish in a free and fair atmosphere. The imposition of economic sanctions won't pay, but the acceptance of healthy criticism would go a long way in establishing its credibility among the masses.
Any democratic government could not afford to exercise its authority in an "autocratic" manner. It is unjust, highly condemnable and regrettable.
The "unofficial" government ban comes at a time when the role of the independent press is recognised highly essential for the enhancement of the democratic and nation-building values.
The healthy growth of media is essential for the existence and promotion of independent press. If gagged, it cannot provide diverse information. Its unhindered growth is important for the
strengthening of democracy.Hence the government decision to deny advertisement, to any
independent newspaper, which promotes journalism, is highly regrettable.
It would not be wrong to say that it is a form of indirect censorship.
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