Diplomacy to journalism
by
Javed Hafiz |
I have been writing this column for a year now. A diplomat turning a columnist and journalist was an easy transition in my case. One of the essential functions of a diplomat is to write assessment reports on evolving situations. Diplomats also specialise in use of correct words and expressions. I am not sure whether I could master that art or not. A fairly good number of former diplomats in Pakistan and India write in newspapers regularly. Columns written by Foreign Secretaries Tanveer Ahmed Khan, Najam Uddin Sheikh and Ambassador Bhadrakumar invariably stand out and speak of their professional acumen.
To express one is a human desire. However, to be able to communicate well with readers or listeners is an ability not distributed evenly to all. Column writing has now developed into a specialisation. Leading column writers employ teams for research. Javed Choudhry, a leading Urdu columnist in Pakistan recently said in a TV programme that before formally entering the field, he had been writing a column daily and throwing it in the waste paper basket for five years.
Retirement from service itself demands a big re-adjustment. The entire routine changes suddenly. Morning shaves and showers are no longer required. The driver does not show up to take you to the office. The loyal and ever-present secretary, who used to take care of official and personal engagements, is gone. For many, this sudden change is painful. It is more painful in Islamabad which is essentially a city of bureaucrats overly conscious of their grades and designations. Luckily, in my case, this transition was not so painful. To begin with, I had always considered the perks like the use of VIP lounges or travelling business class as temporary aberrations. And now I enjoy my lazy mornings and have lots of retired officials as friends .They now have all the time to talk and listen. In service, they had invariably tended to be brief and to the point!
Retirement also restores one’s freedom. A government servant surrenders his freedom and becomes part of a disciplined system. Now I can, along with other colleagues, issue statements for example, in support of the lawyers’ movement. I can also express my opinion more candidly in my columns and do derive great satisfaction from that.
I am reminded of an anecdote from the United Nations. An ambassador was trying hard to convert another ambassador to his (or his country’s) point of view. The ambassador listened patiently to his colleague and said at the end, “Excellency, you can change my mind but not my brief!” All diplomats carry their briefs through their service.
They say writing makes a man perfect. That is largely untrue. However, writing a column does inculcate a certain degree of discipline. One is conscious of the weekly deadline. Fortunately in Pakistan one is never short of topics and in fact I have often had to choose from competing topics. When you have to write regularly as a vocation, you read and listen to other opinions more carefully. You also have to do some research to verify the authenticity of the information you are trying to put across.
Islamabad is a beautiful place for walks. One of my walk-mates is Ijaz Hussein, a retired professor of international relations who also writes a weekly column in the Daily Times. During our walks we discuss serious topics invariably. I have benefited from his views greatly. Luckily one also lives in the age of Internet and information explosion. To research a topic, one can always fall back upon various search engines and get the latest information. A related activity that I indulge in is participation in various TV discussion programmes, Arabic ones in particular. The two activities do have a symbiotic relationship and nourish each other. My Arab friends in Islamabad are a constant source of encouragement when it comes to speaking in Arabic.
We are living in times when good news is hard to come by. As an optimist, I am always on the look-out for good news. Some days ago, Ijaz Shafi Gillani, who is a respected pollster in Pakistan, came out with an interesting observation. He said that while the government had lost its writ over some territories in the last couple of years and therefore appeared weakened, the Pakistan society had become stronger. He was referring to the civil society which has consistently stood behind the lawyers’ movement. Human rights’ activists like Tahira Abdullah, who have steadfastly supported the movement for the rule of law in Pakistan, deserve to be commended. I plan to meet both of them soon to be able to write a piece on the civil society in Pakistan.
Over a period, every columnist develops a certain number of loyal readers. It is the duty of columnists not to disappoint the readers. Ideally a columnist should be politically neutral in order to paint an objective picture. While assessing the evolving situation, the columnist should have his eyes squarely on the ground realities.
But let me hasten to add that columnists only flag some pertinent questions, analyse situations and comment on developments. They are not the catalysts of revolutions.
They should, therefore, not take themselves too seriously. I certainly don’t.
Javed Hafiz is a former Pakistani ambassador to the Sultanate. |
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