“Da guluno khaar da, bamuno khaar sho” - “It is the city of flowers, but now it is the city of bombs”
On the 12th of June, a suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up, killing over 34 and injuring 90 others, near the Khyber Supermarket shopping complex, that rocked houses nearby. This attack near the heart of Peshawar cantonment was one of many that the unfortunate city has experienced over the last few years. In the classic manner of these well- planned attacks attempting to cause maximum carnage, the attack was preceded by a minor explosion attracting onlookers and emergency services before the second, even more deadly attack.
What was frustrating about this episode was the stark contrast between media coverage of this attack and attacks elsewhere, like Lahore or Karachi. Sadly this has been a recurring theme of coverage in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and when there is any commentary there is limited the analysis of the attacks. There are few stories of heroism, few interviews with grieving families shared, few discussions with local analysts at the devastating effect of the attack on everything from, victims, students to local businesses.
The reasons for this is obvious, there are perverse incentives at work: With the breaking of the PTV monopoly, there is no obligation for TV channels to have a presence in all provinces and all major languages like PTV does. With private companies being driven by viewer figures and advertising, they have few incentives to cover news outside Karachi and the GT road belt. Conversely in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, not many writers will risk going into detail about militancy or the governments actions especially since what happened to the late Hayatullah Khan. With the exception of one talk show host, nobody else to my knowledge hails from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The few that are invited to shows to discuss issues will often be cautious in how they word things for fear of being targeted by the Tehrik-e-Taliban. Others that are willing to talk are often ex-Army or ex-bureaucrats; invited to talk about national issues.
The unfortunate city of Peshawar, has to live through not just the relentless attacks, the lack of proper burns and trauma facilities, ignorance of the media, an exhausted and angry populace but also the chronic neglect it has suffered over the last 30 years with little development, few jobs and now those few that businesses that are based in the city are relocating because of the security situation.
So what are the alternatives? There has not been an influential Peshawar-based English newspaper to advocate the city’s cause since the Frontier Post in its heyday, there are no Urdu channels based in Peshawar. The issuing of TV licenses for Pashto TV channels has been tightly controlled to prevent more liberal groups from setting up an alternative narrative. The one Pashto channel that is operating in Pakistan is primarily based in Islamabad. Amidst all this, there is however a flicker of hope, a new generation of activists using social media sites to mobilise people locally. They are working through papers like the DAWN to get their voices heard. Whether these activists can connect with a national audience remains to be seen.
Unfortunately for now, at least in places like Peshawar, deaths are counted, they just don’t matter.
Zalan is a free lance writer based in the UK with an interest in history and politics. He blogs at http://www.takhalus.blogspot.com/
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
