ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a huddle of the National Party (NP) said on Saturday that the country has been facing hybrid regimes since 1947 and the state has never been interested in providing basic amenities, justice and freedom of expression to citizens. It was noted that the curbs on media and free voices have been a key tool to veil the truth and save despotic rulers. NP Punjab President Ayub Malik moderated the session. Addressing the meeting, Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi said that the rulers were damaging the country and as a result, the state had almost lost the confidence of the masses and discontent was on the rise. “Those in power as well as the state institutions were focused only on three things – rightsising, increasing taxes and conflict resolution,” Senator Buledi said, adding “But all the three issues were causing financial and social loss to the public.” “No country can overcome conflicts without the support of its citizens,” the senator said. Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, veteran journalist, academic and political analyst spoke about the history of media curbs in the sub-continent from the times of the East India Company to 1947 and during various regimes in post-independence Pakistan. He added that Qaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah opposed the draconian laws against media. He along with his wife Rutti Jinnah participated in the protests condemning curbs on ‘The Bombay Chronicle’ after it exposed the Jalianwala massacre, he said. “This was what happened in the case of East Pakistan as the newspapers in West Pakistan kept painting a rosy picture and the truth came out only after the surrender,” Dr Khan said the “same narrative was being repeated currently as the state wanted to control dissenting voices on social media.” Former Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Nasir Zaidi said that authoritative control over media would never be beneficial for any group or institution or even the state. “Now when the government was talking about controls over social media – we always ask what has Pakistan benefitted from controlling newspapers or electronic media?” he said. He added that “the answer is - disappointments and lack of trust among the masses against the state.” He said that the solution to fake news and what the authorities call ‘frenzied’ social media was to free the press.