The best, the most lucrative, the most influential, the post desired and of course the most morally corrupt profession today is anchorism. The top known celebrities in Pakistan today are not the cricketers, film stars but anchor persons. Yesterday Sheikh Rashid rightly said that from amongst the of 200 to 230 countries the world over the Pakistani media talk shows are the most powerful and influential as far as politics is concerned. Even today our domestic women who hardly had ever taken any real interest in politics prefer viewing talks shows. While no doubt these talk shows have increase the general awareness of the masses nevertheless it is also a bitter truth these anchors or talk shows have played a havoc with the country. Every week they create a new hype, take advantage of their expertise on playing with people psychology on each hype with dramatic moves try to create magic if due to tipping point the egg was just to fall or still needs another silent air push. Each of these anchor try to convince his viewers he (anchor) was still a “student” of politics, a humble person, from the lower middle class, is impartial, God fearing etc but practically feels his viewers the bunch of fools. Whenever any sensitive moment comes immediately they always remember that a “small” commercial break has come. For example on the point of foreign assets when Hamid Mir enquired from Khawaja Asif as to how much were his assets abroad, he offered Hamid to swap his assets with Hamid’s when without opening his mouth the anchor immediately went on commercial break.
One such anchor is Nusrat Javed. To show his humble he invariably in each show describes himself as sitting just with lipstick, powder and doing “notanki”. Last week on the topic of defence council he said to his counterpart anchor that “Shaikh Sahib” was not available to know his comments. These anchors never stop labeling the politicians as “ibnulwaqt”. Almost every anchor has recently said almost the same in different words when many joined PTI. This word “Shaikh Sahib” could not stop more my belief that these anchor persons were the most rigid “ibnulwaqts”. Only early last week in one of his programme he had said to his co-anchor “Mushtaq Minhas our producer had tried but cold not get Shaikh Rasheed”. This is the same anchor who some 6-7 months before when his co-anchor said that Sheikh Rashed had said so cried in clear words “yeh Sheeda Tulli” will tell the nation – you remember Mushtaq Minhas about 3 years before we both decided not ever to take him in our programmes”. Seeing Shaikh Rashid getting daily exclusive times and most wanted personality by the senior anchors the anchor Nusrat Javed too using “ibnuwaqty” made “Sheeda Tulli” as Shaikh Sahib. This is our so loud sugar coated self boosting anchors.
