In alluding to the sinister potential for intervention a la Afghanistan or Iraq, Nizami in effect has cast doubts on the patriotic credentials of the media while trying to take a holier-than-thou attitude.

We reject such insinuations out of hand. This is a deliberate and motivated attack on free media, designed to denigrate it. Such remarks are but a veiled threat to curb the free press from its bounden duty of keeping the public informed. It is a dubious attempt to put a sop on failure of governance by depicting the press in bad light.

One could attribute the warped view of the role of the media to two reasons. One, that the media's exposure of the dubious nature of politics that some are indulging in, stands in their way of carrying out such nefarious and harmful politics. The second reason could be that such reports see a link between the Jamaat and the religious extremists, much to their ire.

We also discern hypocrisy in Nizami's remarks. While he distances himself and his party from obscrurantist elements, a prominent leader of his party is seen attending meetings of some of these groups.

We suggest that the high government functionaries like him see the reality obtaining on the ground at present. Instead of putting the blame for our image problem on 'exaggerated media reports', they should apply themselves to ensuring that such disreputable acts against the country do not occur in the first place.