APML victory will be repeated, says MPA
ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: The long-awaited commission for recounting of rejected votes and postal ballot papers has finally been formed, which will meet on September 25 to resolve the tug of war between two archrivals from PK-90 Chitral-II.
Talking to ChitralToday on phone from Peshawar on Monday, member provincial assembly Ghulam Muhammad confirmed that a three-member commission had been set up which would give its report within 21 days after its first meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
About prospects of his victory, he kept his fingers crossed as usual with a huge laughter, saying the anecdotal surveys published by ChitralToday about the popularity of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) before May 11 general elections, clearly indicating the victory of the party, would once again give good news to its readers.
He said the liberal and unbiased editorial policy of this online daily, saying its impartial and well-balanced fanatical pieces had always helped its educated and serious readers to take stock of the situation very much in advance than all other local publications.
However, Sardar Hussain of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) refused to speak to this correspondent, saying he was busy and would talk later but he did not call back till the evening. Sources close to Sardar Hussain on the condition of anonymity said he was under immense pressure as his rival, who is the sitting member of provincial assembly, is not going to compromise even if is declared winner.
If declared runner-up in the recounting process, they added, the PPP jiyala from Booni will be left with no option except making hollow speeches in election campaigns of his party which he has been doing for the last over 30 years. A senior PPP leader on the condition of anonymity said this would be the last chance for Mr Shah as in the next elections the party top brass may not award him a ticket as the list of other aspirants was quite lengthy. Besides, he could not prove his worth despite having two golden opportunities from the said constituency.
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A person sees tilt in a report when something goes against him or his interest. Second, big media organizations even in developed countries like the US have their tilt and they are known for their specific policies. They are either pro or anti government etc. Can’t you see this in our national newspapers and media organizations too like Geo, Dunya, Jang and even Dawn.
Well I have felt a clear leaning of this online daily i.e. Chitral Today, on various issues. An example is its tilt towards pro-Musharraf elements. Similarly, small news from one of the area of upper Chitral are predominant on the pages as compared to the rest. Self-praise is no recommendation. You guys should be impartial and unbiased in letters and spirits so you will not be required to quote An MPA who even does not know what impartiality in journalism is.
Well said Imran! I have the similar feelings about Chitraltoday.net.
We try our best to report things as they happen like we did before and after the May 11 elections when Musharraf announced to contest from Chitral. There is no denying the fact that people of Chitral, irrespective of their party and regional affiliations, still support Musharraf overwhelmingly. So if we report the mass support for Musharraf keeping the ground reality in perspective this sometimes looks like we are only supporting the former president. But then our readers also remember that we did not support and even took APML member National assembly Iftikharuddin to task when he did not play his role in raising voice for Musharraf when the prime minister announced to try him under article 6 of the constitution. So was there any tilt?
And about “small news from a particular area of upper Chitral are prominent on its pages compared to the rest.” It is to be clarified that we run this news website on our own resources. So we do not have, neither we can afford to hire, correspondents in all other remote areas of Chitral. As we ourselves come from the Yarkhun valley, we get more news through our own sources from not only that remote area but also most areas of upper Chitral. If we give more coverage to the backward areas, you should appreciate us. The placement of the reports depend on their importance not the area they come from. And secondly, have you ever sent us any report about your area and we did not carry or downplay it?
For the last about five years since we launched Chitral Today, our readers have appreciated the neutrality and professionalism of the news site as we report and debate issues that were never even discussed publicly in the past. We have also been playing a constructive role in creating awareness and bringing all segments of Chitrali society closer and this was the reason Chitral Today was nominated for the prestigious International Knight Journalism Award 2013.
Self-praise: If a politician acknowledges the impartiality of a newspaper (which is very rare) despite criticism from people, he deserves appreciation. We quoted Ghulam Muhammad MPA because he is our regular reader. He takes great interest in issues pertaining to politics and reads all the stories/comments, a bulk of it have always been against him but he never complained like majority of politicians.
At the end, we appreciate Mr Imran Khan for visiting ChitralToday website and sharing his constructive criticism with our readers. We believe that in this way we would be able to further improve our working because as human beings we cannot claim to be 100 per cent perfect and there is always room for improvement.
Zar Alam Khan (chief editor)
Zulfiqar Ahmad (editor reporting)
ChitralToday
Islamabad