Dr. Safdar Mahmood is historian and leading political analyst. He has received Pride of Performance for his outstanding contributions in the field of history along with a number of other prizes and awards. His more than one dozen books have been favorably reviewed by Pakistani and foreign press and are widely quoted by foreign and Pakistani authors and research scholars. Some of his books have also been translated into German, Chinese, Bengali, Uzbek and Sindhi languages. His research articles are published in journals and magazines of international repute. He has also served at different administrative and posts as member of Central Superior Services, Government of Pakistan.

Irfan Siddiqui is the Urdu columnist, known to be the great supporter of former prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. He started writing his columns on Nawaiwaqt. In July 2008, Irfan Siddiqui left Nawaiwaqt and joined Jang. He has been found criticizing Pervez Musharraf and his regime in Pakistan, very bluntly. He was also unhappy with the late Benazir Bhutto and her Pakistan Peoples Party, and wrote the same in the columns. He is currently serving the Jang group of newspapers.

Amjad Islam Amjad (Urdu: امجد اسلام امجد) (born August 4, 1944 in Sialkot) is a famous Urdu poet, drama writer and lyricist from Pakistan.He received his education in Lahore. He graduated from Islamia College Civil Lines, Lahore. His career started as a lecturer in M.A.O College Lahore. From 1975 to 1979 he worked as a director at Pakistan Television Corporation before returning to the College.In 1989 he was appointed as Director General of Urdu Science Board. Currently he is the project director of the Children Library Complex. He is the author of over 40 books and received several national and PTV awards.Amjad Islam Amjad is the writer of many drama series for Pakistan Television Corporation including the very popular “Waaris”. He has written many columns, translation, criticism and essays whereas his main focus is writing Nazms. Among his most famous dramas are Waris, Dehleez, Samandar, Raat, Waqt and Apnay Loug.In June, 2008 he joined Urdu newspaper Daily Express.

Zahida Hina (Urdu: زاہدہ حنا) (born 1946) is a noted Urdu columnist, essayist, short story writer, novelist and dramatist from Pakistan.Zahida was born on October 5, 1946 in the Sasaram town of Bihar, India. After the partition of India, her father, Muhammad Abul Khair, emigrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi, where Zahida was brought up and educated. She wrote her first story when she was nine years old. She graduated from University of Karachi, and her first essay was published in the monthly Insha in 1962. She chose journalism as a career in mid 60s. In 1970, she married the well-known poet Jon Elia. Zahida Hina was associated with the daily Jang from 1988 until 2005, when she moved to the Daily Express, Pakistan. She now lives in Karachi.zahida hina also worked inradio Pakistan,bbcurdu and voice of America.

Rauf Kalsara is a Pakistani journalist working for Jang group at the Rawalpindi office.He is well known in Pakistan for his investigations into the murder of five innocent girls in Nasirabad, Balochistan Province. He usually wrote columns in the daily Jang twice a week and has a reputation of criticising Pakistani political figures.He is a graduate from Multan University and Gold Smith College/University of London.

Javed Chaudhry ( Urdu:جاوید چوہدری) is a newspaper columnist in Pakistan. His series of columns have been published in four volumes in Urdu language. His most notable column ZERO POINT has great influence upon people of Pakistan especially Youth and Muslims of Pakistan. He writes for the Urdu newspaper Daily Express four time a week, covering topics ranging from social issues to politics.Javed Chaudhry was born in Lalamusa , district of Gujrat, Pakistan. He received his degree in journalism from The Islamia University Bahawalpur. He has Four children and currently resides in Shahzad Town, Islamabad.He started his career in journalism in 1989. He worked at Daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Pakistan, Daily Ummat and Daily Khabrain before joining Daily Jang in 1997.In January 2008, Javed Chaudhry joined Express News (Pakistan) as an anchorperson of a political Talk show “Kal Tak”, in which he analyses current affairs of Pakistan with guests from various think tanks and political parties.

One of the most disturbing things about Salmaan Taseer’s tragic death is the manner in which his party, the PPP, has reacted. Whether it is fear, misjudgement or sheer opportunism, I don’t know, but to call this assassination a ‘political conspiracy’, when it is yet another violent act of aggression against a dissenting voice, is a grave disservice to the nation.

There is no doubt that Governor Taseer was targeted for his views on the blasphemy law. Others, including religious scholars like Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi and Dr Muhammad Farooq, have suffered a similarly fatal fate simply because there is a frighteningly large armed population of intolerant extremists in our society who would go to any length to stifle alternative viewpoints.

It is baffling if the PPP thinks that it can ride off this martyrdom and use it for political advantage instead of tackling the biggest problem in our country head on. Equally disappointing is the judiciary’s silence. When threats were made to Salmaan Taseer and Sherry Rehman, why weren’t suo motu actions taken? Why has no action been taken against those who have offered head money to kill Asia Bibi extra-judicially? Could there be more contempt and disregard for the very function of the court? And yet, we have become so accustomed to ceding space to these draconian forces that hardly anyone is willing to take them on. As a result, the few who do pay dearly, most often with their lives.

The question more and more people are asking is: are we doomed? If the devastation caused by the floods took us back a hundred years, allowing armed groups and individuals, misled into narrowly interpreting religion, to dictate policy will take us back 400 years. But how can we reorient society? How can we use religion as a force of good rather than a force of evil? How can we rectify the severe damage that has already been done? For starters, the media, especially the electronic media, must mend its ways.

The talk show, a staple and increasingly static form of discourse, needs to broaden its horizons. It is not advisable to invite bickering politicians or analysts who rely on inflaming emotions. They add nothing to the discussion and it is best to black them out till they can learn to present arguments dispassionately. There is a need, instead, to build up rational discourse.

Religious programmes need to be strictly monitored so that there is no inflaming of emotion, no discriminatory interpretations and, most importantly, no incitement to violence. Running advertisements on tolerance while simultaneously providing a platform to those preaching the contrary is counterproductive. Efforts should also be made to show Pakistani viewers how other Muslim countries run their affairs. We are, after all, not the only Muslims on the planet. For example, Saudi Arabia is mandating veiled women be fingerprinted and have their identities verified by male immigration officers, in light of security concerns, and spending enormous amounts of money on jihad rehabilitation facilities.

The media can also be a tool for adult and child literacy. English, science and math lessons can be offered via television. Television does not need to be a reflection of society. It can be a teaching tool to uplift the masses that have been robbed of a quality education. Ratings may not immediately skyrocket because of this policy but, in the long run, it will reap benefits for society that will positively affect us all. The hypocrisy of feeding readers of the Urdu press one thing and those of the English press another must end. If media owners send their own children to enlightened American schools and universities, then it is not fair to dumb down the average Pakistani viewer with nonsense.