In the Dialogue Fifteen Pakistani and Twelve German journalists participated to reflect on what has happened in the last decade between the so called ‘Islamic World’ and the ‘West’.

The participating journalists were senior editors and decision makers from the media industry in Germany and Pakistan.
Leading political figures Shah Mahmood Qureshi (former Foreign Minister/PPP) and Syeda Abida Hussain (former Pakistani Ambassador to the USA/PPP), Ahsan Iqbal (Deputy Secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-N) and Hasham Baber (Additional SEcretary General of the Awami National Party) also had talk sessions with the journalists during the Dialogue.

The three days long program started with a sightseeing tour through the old city of Lahore which was guided by representatives of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture project in the Walled City. The journalists were given insight into the life and living standards of residents of the old city as well as an overview over cultural and historical places like Lahore Fort, Wazir Khan Mosque, Badshahi Mosque and the Sufi Shrine of Mian Mir.

The first panel started off with a short presentation about the German perceptions of Pakistan and vice versa. Marcus Pindur, editor at Deutschlandradio Berlin, stated that the German public views about Pakistan have changed over the years and become more downbeat between 2005 and 2009 due to the 9/11 incident and later happenings like the death of Osama Bin Laden. The German public believes that their tax money supports a corrupt Pakistani government which is offering ‘unofficial’ help to the extremists.  And these extremists are killing German soldiers who are posted in the north of Afghanistan.

The perception changes could also be seen in the will of the Germans to donate money for the humanitarian relief after disasters like the earthquake in 2005 compared to the floods in 2010.

Ejaz Haider, security analyst and columnist of the Friday Times and daily Express Tribune shared his view about the post 9/11 happenings. He stated that the USA reacted badly on the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, whereas opportunities and signals to resolve the post 9/11 situation without the military intervention in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan, have not been taken seriously into account by the USA. He said the failure of the US policies can be seen through the fact that the security situation has really become more insecure. He concluded that we are now living in a world in which security issues scare us around, both, Muslim and Western world.

Further topics which were discussed were Islamophobia and Xenophobia. Cem Sey, German-Turkish national and German correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Taraf, raised the question if the starting point of the misunderstanding between the so called Muslim and the Western world did not start with the book ‘Clash of Civilizations’ rather than with 9/11. Several journalists agreed with Daniel Bax, from the German newspaper Tageszeitung, that in fact both sides have the same topics and issues which they are discussing and facing: Threats from the extremists and security issues.

During the Pakistani-German Media Dialogue influential personalities of the Pakistani political parties like Begum Abida Hussain and Hasham Baber also participated and interacted in a "World Café Dialogue" at Polo Lounge Lahore. The afternoon explored Pakistan’s interior politics, i.e. party politics, situation in KPK and FATA, sectarian issues and how Europe can help to support the liberal forces in Pakistan.

Senior journalists Jan Ross, Jan Marberg, Khalid Ahmed and Rahimullah Yusufzai spoke on the possibilities of talking peace with the Taliban. Khalid Ahmed viewed that the Taliban have flouted all the past agreements. However the participants appreciated that Europe was increasingly looking towards the resolution of conflict through political means. It was said that high hopes can be attached to the coming conferences in Turkey and Bonn later this year.

The German Ambassador, Dr. Michael Koch, met the German journalists and gave them a background briefing on Pakistan, the future of Pakistan and the Pakistan-Afghan relations and most recent developments.

During a visit at the South-Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), journalists had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General of SAFMA media policies, repression against journalists and the working environment of journalists who report on security and political issues.

During a dinner debate with Ahsan Iqbal, the Deputy Secretary General of the PML-N and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ahsan Iqbal appreciated the Media Dialogue and said that it would result in better understanding for senior journalists of both the countries – Pakistan and Germany. He expressed the hope that despite the currently gloomy situation, Pakistan will emerge into a more powerful state. He said that if Pakistan were left alone to deal with the Afghanistan situation after the US troops’ withdrawal in 2014 and were not helped out by the international community, the regional security situation will worsen. Pakistan needs international recognition for its role in Afghanistan.

Questions related to the existing Blasphemy Law in Pakistan were also raised by several German journalists. There was also a debate about Pakistan’s interests in Afghanistan. This was discussed against the background of the Pashtun majority living in Afghanistan and their connections with Pashtun communities in Pakistan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi emphasized the importance of Pakistan’s sovereignty and on how much Pakistan sacrificed during the ‘war against terrorism’.

He said that the growing Indian influence in Afghanistan was a key concern of Pakistan. He added that for Pakistan now, trade will be more important than the aid from foreign donor agencies. While recognizing the efforts of the international community, he criticized that especially trade commitments with Pakistan were not fulfilled. The international community needs to back Pakistan for its consistent efforts for the regional peace, he said.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi while appreciating the event hoped that the Pak-German Media Dialogue will become a regular annual feature and would further create better understanding between Pakistan and a strong European actor Germany.

Pakistani-German Media Dialogue: List of the Participants
Pakistani-German Media Dialogue: Programme
Pakistani-German Media Dialogue: Comments by the Participants

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