Politics remains the favourite topic for discussion for the mainstream media in Pakistan. The other topics of discussion would include some lesser important and irrelevant stories.
People, culture and particularly minorities remain at the lowest side when it comes to first identifying and then highlighting their issues.
It goes without saying that the issues being faced by minorities in the country are of greater importance and cannot be ignored at any cost. We have heard voices being raised in favour of minorities in Sindh and whenever they are subjected to injustices, mainstream media highlights the issue but that too get subdued by the loud slogans of religious fanatics.
This needs to be understood that this problems is not limited to the Hindus of Sindh only. Fact of the matter is that Pakistani society could not yet do away with feudal system where power and authority matters and deprivation of power to the groups treated as insignificant and peripheral is considered as a routine. This situation has underlined the need for raising voice for the members of marginalized cultural groups.
It is also a fact that the minorities and marginalized segments of society in the country have had been facing unseen fear and threats and it’s more pathetic that those want to or can raise voice for their rights are even found silent for their safety concerns.
This is need of the hour to raise voice for the underprivileged segments of society. Under the circumstances, some of the Pakistani journalists have launched a web portal with the name Sabaat through which they have been striving to reach the society for the rights of underprivileged people.
One of the objectives of the network is to bring forth issues pertaining to excluded groups which are seldom discussed in the mainstream media. For this purpose, the network has launched fortnightly e-bulletin and a news website.
In the newsletter and the website, the focus of all published items is to highlight issues of marginalized groups which remain under-reported in the mainstream media. These include but are not limited to various issues related to religious minorities, women and transgenders.
The management of the portal says they also focus on issued issues like violence, deprivation, and systemic discrimination; denial of fundamental rights and freedoms.
The underprivileged include minorities and Bangalis-a community hardly reported in the country’s mainstream media. The website also talks about exploitation of children and even takes care of animals’ rights. This forum offers news stories that are not a news even on mainstream media despite the fact these human interest stories are part of the national issues.
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