The Descent of Media Freedom in India and Pakistan Hint at the Descent of Democracy
Legal troubles, arrests, physical attacks, charges of sedition, and a blatant disregard for freedom of thought are clear signs of democratic values being curtailed in India and Pakistan – two countries which began their independence journey in August 1947. The descent of the press indicates a palpable rise in authoritarianism, and the strengthening of reactionary and radical groups antithetical to the idea of political liberties in both countries.
Both India and Pakistan have experienced press censorship under British rule when they suffered from gag orders and laws such as the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. These rules curtailed the freedom of the indigenous language press, limiting their ability to publish articles and opinions against the British colonial power. The India Press Act of 1910 was introduced as a response to the rising nationalism in India and the publication of news that was considered to be seditious against the British Raj. Both of these acts enforced censorship of the press and curbed press freedom in India as many newspapers at the time were run by nationalist leaders like Mahatma Gandhi. Thus, when both countries gained independence, press freedom got a fillip. However, this was short-lived as ingrained autocratic ideals in the constitutions and culture of both nations allowed for press freedom restrictions.
While Pakistan descended into a rule of the army several times in its political history, India has sustained a democracy, except for the 21-month period between 1975 to 1977. This was when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced a domestic Emergency that saw control and manipulation of the press. Despite clear deviation in the form of polity, both countries suffer from a poor record of press freedom which questions their claims of democratic ideals. Thus, while Pakistan slipped to the 157th position in the Reporters Without Border press freedom index 2022, India, a significantly more democratic nation, was ranked 150th.
This suggests that both countries are experiencing a further shift towards authoritarianism – which in turn affects their investment potential and global standing. While the Pakistan army’s role in curbing freedom of the press and the lack of trust in electoral democracy has caused many to claim that Pakistan is in a state of competitive authoritarianism, India has been dubbed as an ‘electoral autocracy’. So while democratic processes like elections are still free and fair, there has been a substantial downgrading of institutional freedom, the rise of violence against minority groups and a clear curb of the freedom of the press.
In India, the dip in freedom of the press has been attributed to a lack of diversity in media personnel, a lack of editorial policies that promote freedom of the press and media ethics, and control of the media by corporate entities who are fearful of government pushback.
The CEU Democracy Institute found that the primary funders of the press in India are corporate houses and the Indian government which provide advertisements to multiple newspapers and tv channels.
Independent journalists are often the victims of government excesses and control, as is the case of Keralan journalist Siddique Kappan, who has been incarcerated since October 2020 on charges of sedition. The largest Indian State, Uttar Pradesh is known to file dozens of cases against journalists found to be critical of the government. The autocratic control over media is far more prevalent in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where media activities are curbed by the state and foreign media presence is limited. Often the media in Kashmir has claimed that they are not allowed to report on what they allege to be excesses of the Indian army. Many Kashmiri journalists have been incarcerated or have had to leave because of threats.
Not just in Kashmir, in mainland India many journalists critical of the government have had to earn the ire of the state. Many of them were criticised for their coverage of the Covid-19 deaths in India. The media, under pressure from the government, was not allowed to report on certain aspects of the pandemic which were considered as negative.
There is also a political bias in the media as many have pointed out the abject attack on political opposition and all those in the civil society critical of the government. Communal discord and cases of violence have often been associated with the content of television news in India where anti-Muslim rhetoric has affected India’s democratic and liberal credentials in the international world and has forced the Indian Supreme Court to criticise the media on its communal agenda. This has furthered the constriction of press freedom in India. The assassination of famous journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh in 2017 and multiple deaths of other journalists in India have brought about serious fear among journalists.
This fear is more palpable in Pakistan where it has become common to hear news of the abduction of journalists by those associated with Pakistan’s all-powerful intelligence and army agencies. The recent assassination of Pakistan’s famous television anchor Arshad Sharif in Kenya has furthered the conversation around freedom of the press as many worry about the future of reporting in a country marred by ethnic and political violence. Pakistan has been described by Reporters Without Border as “one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to cases of corruption or illegal trafficking and which go completely unpunished.” Only recently has the United States expressed concerns about Pakistan’s media freedom as many television channels considered close to a political group have been targeted by their opponents or by the Pakistan army.
This descent of the freedom of the press in both countries is a dangerous sign for the future of the region as they clearly present a democratic lapse that has been feared all around the democratic world. The lack of a free and fair press also affects human rights issues in these countries as it takes away the recourse that the public has from the media. The presence of polarising media figures adds to the descent of society and promotes bigotry and discrimination – both of which visible in India and Pakistan over the past many years. It is imperative for these countries to enact laws to protect journalists from faulty cases and physical violence, and also make sure that the media manages its affairs ethically.