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The Frontier Post - A
Eulogy
Amjad Hussain
I
write this column to mourn the brutal murder of the The Frontier
Post, an English language Pakistani newspaper published from
Peshawar. It was not the economic hard times that are the usual
reasons for a paper's closure, but the unruly religious zealots that
caused its demise. In a country where most newspapers stay clear of
the explosive and controversial socio-religious issues, the Frontier
Post was a class act. I was a frequent contributor to its op-ed
pages for over three years.
The
Frontier Post was established about fifteen years ago by a most
unlikely person from the tribal hinterland of Pakistan's northwest
frontier. Rahmat Shah Afridi was a marginally educated, self-made
man who despite being steeped in age-old conservative tribal
traditions, pursued an enlightened liberal policy on religious and
social issues and minority rights. The paper attracted young
idealistic writers who took on the government, the religious lobby,
the feudal landowners and just about any group who dared to impose
its will on the hapless masses. Over time it became a mainstream
national paper and started publishing from Lahore as well.
In
the mid-nineties, the management started an Internet edition which
attracted audience from many continents. It welcomed dissenting
views and its Readers Forum was the liveliest of any such forum in
the English press. It was perhaps the only paper that published
articles and letters from Hindu nationalists and others whose views
were diametrically opposed to those of most Pakistanis.
A
chance meeting with the editor-publisher in 1998 started my own
association with The Frontier Post. He asked me to write for the
paper but said he could not afford to pay me. I agreed to write in
exchange for an occasional lunch at a roadside chapli kabob shop. He
was surprised at the unusual barter proposal but readily agreed. On
the pages of The Frontier Post, I felt privileged to be in the
company of the likes of Ahmad Bashir, Afrasiab Khattak and Abid
Ullah Jan.
In
the late nineties the Frontier Post threw its support behind the
Awami National Party (ANP) for changing the name of North West
Frontier Province to Pukhtunkhwa but nevertheless published my
not-too-timid op-ed pieces against the name change despite pressure
from ANP stalwarts to ban my writings.
 The
paper's unrelenting crusade against the official corruption
particularly against the government of Nawaz Sharif did not win it
many friends in Islamabad or in Peshawar, the provincial capital. As
revenues from government advertisements dried up, the paper fell on
hard times. To add insult to injury, the editor-publisher Rahmat
Shah Afridi was arrested for the possession of narcotics during the
last year of Nawaz Sharif's short lived government. To many
observers Rahmat Shah was framed by having narcotics planted in his
car. He remains behind bars and the case is unwinding ever so slowly
through the legal maze of Pakistani courts. A dedicated group of
reporters, writers and editors kept the paper alive though they
received little or no salary.
The
ignominious end came rather suddenly when the paper inadvertently
published a letter in its Readers Forum sent by a certain Ben D. Zac
by e-mail. The writer in a clear intent to insult and incite called
the prophet an imposter and a murderous Nazi, questioned his morals
and dismissed the Qura'n as fraud.
The
reaction was swift and furious. A mob, egged on by the religious
parties, torched the paper's office. Under pressure from Mullahs,
the government arrested seven of the staff under the controversial
Blasphemy law. It was for all intent and purposes the end of the
paper.
To
their credit the English language press in Pakistan has stood by The
Frontier Post. While they condemned the contents of the letter, they
supported the paper's contention that it was a horrible but an
honest mistake. Soon after the publication of the infamous letter
the paper rendered an unqualified apology but the religious parties
did not relent. The Frontier Post had always been a thorn in their
side and they were not about to allow its revival even though the
paper never espoused any anti-religious views. But then to many
people of that persuasion there is no difference between being
against the mullahs and being anti-Islamic.
On
its part the military government of Pervez Musharraf has treaded a
fine line between promoting free speech and placating the
ever-powerful religious parties in Pakistan. The government knows
and has stated publicly that the Blasphemy Law is inherently unfair
to the religious minorities but given the street power of the
religious parties it finds it hard to repeal it.
The
Frontier Post was a unique institution. Coming out of a conservative
corner of Pakistan, it trailblazed a path that many of the old staid
papers did not dare follow. In the process it became a champion for
the rights of women, minorities and the disfranchised masses. It is
sad that a courageous voice had to suffer such an inglorious death
at the hands of a mob of religious zealots.
7 March 2007
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