Pakistan wooing foreign newsmen ejected earlier
RAWALPINDI, OCT. 11– Shocked by its image abroad and worried about votes against it in the UN. Pakistan is wooing some of the same foreign newsmen it ejected summarily from Dacca in March when the Army routed the Awami League and captured Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reports AP.
Spokesmen of the Minister of Information here for the first time are promising regular briefings for foreign reporters. However, foreigners are still barred form weekly briefings conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Wooing does not extend to the domestic Press although prepublication censorship of the local Press has been lifted, news agencies and newspapers operated under a Martial Law regulation which amounts to virtually the same thing.
The regulation gorbids publishing material which “directly or indirectly” prejudices “the solidarity of Pakistan”, criticises President Yahya Khan, created illwill among the various groups of people in Pakistan, and insults Islam for Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The Government has also warned newsmen against speculation on national issues such as the secret trial of Mr. Rahman. Local newsmen are subject to Government directives asking them to use the phrase “developmental loan” and “defences procurement” instead of “military aid.”
The policy towards foreign reporters is an extension of vigorous Pakistani efforts throughout the world to get heir point of view across to major aid donation countries and to potential voters in the UN where the issue of East Bengal is expected to arise during this session.
“The image which Pakistan projected abroad after March has shocked us,” said a high Information Ministry official to Foreign reporters, some of whom were in Dacca when the army struck. “There was this simplified assumption of a Nazi-Ike regime striking down the majority political party.”
“We have made errors of commission. For the first week or two after March 25. There was little detailed information. We were saying everything was under control, which was not the case,” he added.
The official said: There is still a lot of confused thinking about the situation, especially when the large propaganda machine of our neighboring country has been exploiting the situation. We start at the UNI with a decided disadvantage.”
“But we hope the image of a military dictatorship suppressing the democratic aspirations of the people will be arrested”, he added.
The Government started reversing its position about foreign newsmen early in May when it permitted six reporters to visit Bangladesh for five days under Army supervision. Newsmen are free to travel there and Press dispatches have been uncensored sine June.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 12.10.1971