http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Media/10284123.html
Media plays vital role in Indo-Pakistan peace process By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter Published: February 09, 2009, 23:23 Dubai: The media has a vital role in the Pakistan-India peace process but it can also be the cause of a deterioration in relations between the two if it falls into the trap of sensationalism, said Pakistani media personalities at an international media conference in Dubai. They were speaking on Monday at a media conference organised by the International Federation of Journalists and the UAE Journalists Association. Islamabad editor for Dawn newspaper and former BBC correspondent Zafar Abbas said there had been a perception that journalists on both sides of the India-Pakistan conflict had grown and matured in their understanding of the conflict and had risen above sensationalist politics until the recent attacks on Mumbai. Following the attacks, he said, there was an "understandable nationalistic tone" in Indian reporting but added that the "sensationalist blame game" that followed significantly set the progress back. The Pakistani side, he added, was not blameless either. It responded to Indian allegations with stereotypical conspiracy theories about India. That, he said, worked to the advantage of both the Indian and Pakistani governments. "It is evident that governments in both countries were revealing selective information, tailoring the coverage to their advantage," he said. Huma Ali, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said however that despite the perceived sensationalist coverage of the Mumbai attacks by the Indian media, he sensed an unprecedented departure from blaming Pakistan by default. "We've had a history of blaming each other every time there was an incident in either country. But this time I saw a positive change, where an effort is made to investigate. "The media needs to understand that we are not the spokespeople of our governments. Governments even use the media by feeding them wrong information [to further their interests]. Abbas said that efforts should be made to promote dialogue between the two countries by allowing free movement of journalists between them. "This is a view shared by both sides. Indian channels aren't allowed to operate from Pakistan, and Pakistani reporters face difficulties in reporting from India," he said. India's role as a "confident and stable democracy" required it to make the first move towards easing movement of Pakistani journalists, said Abbas. "This will oblige Pakistan to reciprocate".
