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The third round of Pakistan-India Legislators
and Public Officials Dialogue on Sharing of Experiences on Governance
and Democracy began in New Delhi, India, on March
08, 2016 to share experiences and perceptions of the two countries
on Role of Media in India-Pakistan Relations and on Policing
System in India and Pakistan.
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The Dialogue brought together Members of Parliament and
State/Provincial Legislatures from Pakistan and India, practitioners and
subject-experts from the two countries who raised key issues and reform
ideas covering both themes.
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At the outset, participants appreciated the facilitation
of the Dialogue to allow sharing of perspectives on common issues. The
opportunity for interaction in a phase in which the two Governments have
not yet resumed the Secretaries-level Dialogue, made this all the more
important.
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All Participants extolled the valuable role of Mr.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, MP, Rajya Sabha, in promoting dialogue and
peace between India and Pakistan through the on-going process, and in
his diverse and distinguished capacities as a diplomat, a veteran Parliamentarian,
a public intellectual and a broadcaster.
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Dialogue participants also welcomed the recent high-level
sharing of intelligence information by Pakistan with India to alert the
Indian Government against potential terrorist activities. They hoped that
this becomes the first of a series of confidence-building measures to
build trust and goodwill, and eliminating terrorism.
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Participants lauded the efforts of PILDAT, in partnership
with Lokniti-CSDS, in facilitating the exchange of good practices and
stressed that the exchange must be continued and broadened to include
more areas of governance and democracy.
Role of Media in India-Pakistan Relations
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Participants acknowledged, at the outset, that news media’s
growth has become exponential and that media are one of the several vital
determinant factors in shaping bilateral relations between Pakistan and
India.
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While it was recognised that the news media have to shine
a spotlight on reality, the requirements of objective and professional
reporting should uphold the core values and cardinal principles of journalism.
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Members emphasised that while all media in both countries
cannot be painted with the same brush, there is a tendency in a few to
be shrill and even jingoistic. This is deplorable and has to be addressed.
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Participants underscored that both news media and academic
centres focusing on media studies should be encouraged to conduct sustained
research on portrayal of the other country by the news media in each country
and that research findings should be published and broadcast to inform
the public.
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It was noted with regret that, often, fringe elements
are wrongly given more space than warranted in the media of the two countries.
More often than not, news media’s unquestioning reflection of their
own Government’s foreign and defence policies stance hampers the
expression of independent perspectives.
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Lack of access for media to locations in the other country
and obstacles in obtaining visas for journalists of both countries were
highlighted as key issues hampering an informed portrayal of each country.
Participants urged both India and Pakistan to put in place policies ensuring
ease of access, travel and reporting by journalists from both countries.
Specific proposals included visa-free access without city restrictions
and for setting up of media lounges at Pakistan-India border posts to
facilitate regular interaction and engagement between Pakistani and Indian
media representatives without the need to obtain visas.
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Lamenting the negligible progress on agreed Codes of Conduct
for South Asian media despite the lapse of two decades, experts underscored
the centrality of initiation and sustaining of regular media dialogue
between Pakistan and India, involving, among others, media associations
of the two countries. Such a dialogue’s pre-set objective should
be to develop a Joint Code of Conduct on reporting about the two countries,
starting from refraining to refer to the other as the “enemy”
State. In this regard, suggestions were also made to eliminate the element
of aggressive postures from the daily parade at the Wahga-Attari border.
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Indian and Pakistani participants highlighted that the
phenomenal growth in new digital media has enormous positive potential
for engagement between Pakistani and Indian citizens and may actually
make many existing restrictions redundant.
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The two sides agreed that joint initiatives are needed
in both conventional mainstream media and social media by individuals
and enterprises of the two countries to promote an entirely new collaborative,
cooperative mindset both within the media and among media audiences in
the two countries. This new shared approach to reporting the news and
making comments could engender an unprecedented improvement in mutual
perceptions and bilateral relations. In this regard, it was suggested
that the prospects of a jointly owned India-Pakistan TV channel, possibly
located in Dubai, might be further pursued
Policing System in India and Pakistan
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Participants of the Dialogue lamented the continuing negative
image stigmatising Police in both countries. The two sides agreed that
the first step towards reforming police system is to acknowledge the critical
importance of Policing and provide due and fair credit to Police.
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Delegates agreed that sharing of experiences on Policing
in the two countries highlighted the vast avenues of learning from each
other in this critical sector.
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While comparing effective practices in effective policing
in Pakistan and India, participants believed that lack of uniform police
laws across States in India and Provinces in Pakistan poses a big challenge
for the two countries.
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In sharing reform proposals, experts agreed that the Indian
Supreme Court’s directives on operational autonomy and accountability
of the Police and Pakistan’s Police Order, 2002, are similar in
promoting democratic, community-oriented, professional and accountable
policing and need to be implemented.
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Experts believed that Police Station reform and revamping
should be at the heart of improving the system of Policing in the two
countries.
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Participants underscored the urgent need for reforms to
promote fair, professionally-led, adequately resourced and accountable
Police across Indian States and Pakistan’s Provinces.
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Delegates agreed that Policing in the two countries required
to benefit effectively from the use of new technologies, better training
and capability-based promotion system in the Police; modernize static
and counter intuitive stop and search practices and introduce discipline
matrix to reduce discretion of the supervisory police officers and promote
fairness in internal police disciplinary proceedings.
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Both India and Pakistan need to reduce disconnect existing
amongst the actors of the criminal justice system of the two countries
by introducing criminal justice coordination committees at the district
levels.
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Members stressed on the requirement of State support in
terms of effective legislation and its implementation, critical financial
support and promoting collaboration amongst various law enforcement agencies/departments
keeping in view complex and challenging policing environment in the two
countries.
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Participants agreed that there is ample scope for effective
police leadership, independent of the role of politicians in policing,
can be complementary to the use of state support in building police capacity.
The Pakistani Delegation, joining the Dialogue
in New Delhi, included (in alphabetical order by first Name in the sequence
of Members of Senate, National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies and Experts)
Senator Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qayyum, (Punjab; Pakistan Muslim
League – Nawaz - PML-N); Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo,
(Balochistan; National Party - NP); Senator Nauman
Wazir Khattak, (KP; Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf - PTI); Senator
Saud Majeed, (Punjab, PML-N); Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khan,
MNA, (NA-82 Faisalabad-VIII, Punjab, PML-N); Parliamentary Secretary
for Finance; Ms. Munaza Hassan, MNA
(NA-306, Women Punjab-XXXIV, PTI); Mr. Shehryar Afridi,
MNA, (NA-14, Kohat, KP, PTI), Mr.
Asad Qaisar, MPA, (PK-35 Swabi-V, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
PTI) Speaker Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Ms. Mahtab
Akbar Rashdi, MPA, (RSW-156, Sindh, Pakistan
Muslim League – Functional – PML-F); Mian Mehmood-ur-
Rashid, MPA, (PP-151 (Lahore-XV), Punjab,
PTI), Leader of Opposition, Provincial Assembly of
the Punjab; Dr. Najma Afzal Khan, MPA,
(RSW-320, Punjab, PML-N); Ms. Arifa Noor,
Resident Editor-Islamabad, Dawn Newspaper; Senator
(Retd.) Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Information Minister,
Member, Senate Forum for Policy Research; Mr. Muhammad Ali
Nekokara, Former SSP, Pakistan Police; Dr.
Muhammad Shoaib Suddle, Former IG Police, Sindh & Balochistan,
Pakistan; Mr. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Shami, Editor-in-Chief
Daily Pakistan; President, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and
Mr. Saleem Safi, Television Anchor and Columnist, Geo TV.
With Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar MP,
Rajya Sabha Indian National Congress (INC), in the Chair, the Indian delegation
joining the Dialogue included (in alphabetical order by first Name in the
following sequence) from Mr. Pavan K. Varma MP, Rajya
Sabha Janata Dal (United)-JD (U), Bihar and Mr. Vijay Jawaharlal
Darda, MP, Rajya Sabha, INC, Maharashtra; from the Delhi Legislative
Assembly,Mr. Madan Lal; Member Legislative Assembly (MLA),
Kasturba Nagar, Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP); Mr. Saurabh Bhardwaj
MLA Greater Kailash, Delhi Aam AAP and Mr. Somnath
Bharti, MLA, Malviya Nagar, Delhi,
AAP.Participants and experts also includedMr. Ashutosh,
Spokesperson Aam Admi Party (AAP); Mr. A. S. Dulat, Member,
National Security Advisory Board, Former Special Director,
Intelligence Bureau, Former Secretary, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW); Mr.
A. S. Panneerselvam, Readers’ Editor, The Hindu; Ms.
Devyani Srivastava Senior Program Office, Commonwealth Human Rights
Initiative; Mr. K. P. Nayar, Senior Journalist and
Consulting Editor, The Telegraph; Dr. K. S. Subramanian, Former
Senior Civil Servant and Member of the Indian Police Force; Dr.
Kiran Bedi, Former Officer, Indian Police Service; Mr.
Sidharth Bhatia, Founding Editor, The Wire; Ms. Smita
Gupta, Senior Journalist, The Hindu; Mr. Sunit Tandon,
Former Director, Indian Institute of Mass Communication Former
CEO, Lok Sabha TV; Ms. Vandana Seth, Research Scholar
andMr. Ved Marwah, Honorary Research Professor, Centre
for Policy Research, Delhi, Former Governor, Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand,
and Former Commissioner of Police, Delhi. |
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