THE electronic media in Pakistan seems obsessed with the race for ratings and a slave to the phenomenon. This is probably why in this race to be at the top in the popularity charts, TV channels give too much airtime to non-serious issues.

At the risk of being called a cynic, I found the coverage by Pakistani TV channels of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle more extensive than desired.

The Pakistani nation is suffering from long hours of loadshedding, an acute shortage of water and inflated prices of essential commodities during Ramazan; on the international horizon, the Ummah is mourning the massacre of 62 Palestinians at the Gaza border, Syria is in ruins owing to a bloody civil war and the Kashmiri people are subjected to brutal excesses. Against such a background, the Pakistani media had nothing better than a plush wedding as its main fare.

The media should realise its responsibilities and live up to its stature.

Aiman Inam

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2018