On September 4th, 2006, Dawn, Pakistan’s largest and oldest English language newspaper, covered the results of a poll carried out by a non-Pakistani organization, on the return of exiled leaders to Pakistani Politics. The headline dramatically read: “66pc Want Exiled Leaders Back“. The article clearly lists the poll as a credible source of information, a [...]
On September 4th, 2006, Dawn, Pakistan’s largest and oldest English language newspaper, covered the results of a poll carried out by a non-Pakistani organization, on the return of exiled leaders to Pakistani Politics. The headline dramatically read: “66pc Want Exiled Leaders Back“. The article clearly lists the poll as a credible source of information, a fact that led me to write this letter to them, which they have not printed (of course!):
Dear Editor,
With regards to an article on the front page of Dawn on Monday, 04 September 2006, referencing a poll taken by the International Repuplican Institute (IRI), I was shocked to see the paper give this poll such prominence. As the oldest English paper in the country, I would expect Dawn to conduct a little more research on their stories before endorsing them.
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) in an article about the IRI stated: “The International Republican Institute, an organization that describes itself as being dedicated to “advancing democracy, freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide,” has in the last two decades earned the questionable distinction of being perhaps the least-known of a group of lethal Washington institutions devoted to the trade of nation-building, or more accurately termed, nation undermining. Despite its elaborate rhetoric and claims to nonpartisanship, the IRI in fact operates as the powerful and well-funded foreign policy arm of the ultra rightist wing of the U.S. Republican Party. It is far more ideological and operational than its Democratic Party counterpart, the National Democratic Institute, and is less concerned with democracy building than hunting down leftists and crushing their causes. It would not be too much to say that the IRI engages in anti-populist witch-hunts with far more enthusiasm than any of its research efforts exploring the history or politics of those countries where it wreaks its havoc.”
The IRI is said to be funded directly by George Bush and his cronies, including several elements of the Christian Right: a philosophy that has publicly aired its aims to destroy Islam, and a major player in the Global War on Islam. That the Americans would like nothing better than to bring both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto back into power in Pakistan should make us think twice about letting that happen.
Has any local organization taken a poll, not just of a few citizens in Lahore, but of all the major cities in the country? To rely on information from a third party, and that a party so partisan and notorious for destabilizing governments, is surely irresponsible journalism.
This letter was the result of an intensive google search on the IRI by my husband - I recommend that you read his blog on this entire matter.