A nation is a group of individuals belonging to a different caste, region, religion, language group or culture. The unification of this diverse entity on the basis of a certain ideology is called national unity. Common values, patriotism and ideology can serve as a source of national cohesion. National unity develops the consciousness of prioritizing national interest over personal interest. Politics, democracy, the law and order situation in a country also influence national unity. For the purposes of unity, there must be communication between individuals, which absolutely requires a medium. This highlights the importance of mass media in developing national unity, as the media has a major role in shaping public opinion. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayThe creation of Pakistan was based on a strong religious ideology. Muslims in the subcontinent feared the domination of the Hindu majority which could have posed a threat to their identity. They fought for a state based on Islamic principles so that Muslims could be represented at the national level. This ideology was the soul of the Pakistan movement and resulted in the partition of the subcontinent into two ideologically different states, although the culture was absolutely identical. A multi-ethnic nation with a number of language groups, a diverse culture and people of different religions emerged. Promoting these differences can lead to internal conflicts, which is why Qaid-e-Azam also placed emphasis on promoting national integration, advising the people to feel and act with pride like Pakistanis. , while leaving provincial and linguistic identities behind. Print media has played an important role in promoting the ideology of Pakistan. Zamindaar, Nawa-e-Waqt, Jang and Dawn were considered the ambassadors of the Muslims of the subcontinent. These newspapers were outspoken in their stance in favor of a separate homeland, and their owners viewed journalism as a mission to serve the people rather than as a profession. They had won the trust of the people and influenced their opinions. After independence, these media groups began operating in the fledgling state. Like all the beginnings, their morale was high and their intentions were good with regard to the development and progress of Pakistan, as the painstaking process of achieving statehood after massive sacrifices was fresh in the minds. While suffering unites people and convenience divides them, over time the media which had played a responsible and exemplary role during the Pakistan Movement began to deviate from its path. After independence, the only force that bound the nation together was Islam, but there was no proper implementation of Islamic principles in the state, which gave rise to a number of ethnic nationalities , linguistic and regional. The country formed in the name of Islam has long retained most of the British constitution. In 1956, the first constitution was adopted, giving the country the label of Islamic Republic. Other changes were also made, but not significant enough to develop a sense of national integration within the nation. Religion has been and still is a major influence in the national integration of Pakistan and therefore also affects political policy. But religion alone can never serve as a source of national cohesion if the conditions of democracy, ofpublic order, the economy and social development deteriorate. The country's leaders have the primary responsibility in this regard. To make the feeling of national integration prevail among citizens, the most important initiative to take is to provide opportunities for the public to participate in national development and progress. An identity as a nation is essential in this regard to determine a direction and a destination for confused people. This thing cannot be imposed superficially but evolves as a result of continuous hard work aimed at modifying the system to abolish evils at the root. Inconsistent democratic situations in the country due to military takeovers, law and order conditions and prevailing culture of nepotism among provinces or ethnic groups pose a threat to the national unity of Pakistan. The country's social and economic conditions are fueling the fire. Pakistan's education system, with its heterogeneous curricula, also divides the already diverse nation into additional classes. Most of the illiterate rural population in the countryside, due to lack of educational resources, constitutes the main rural population. The English mode of education develops a sense of superiority among the individuals who constitute the bulk of the bureaucracy and ruling class, who, although fewer in number, play a major role in policy making. Urdu mediums have an inferiority complex and a sense of deprivation which gives rise to an identity crisis based on the difference in national language and official language. Finally, the group that focuses solely on religious studies has its own attributes and is primarily considered an extremist group. The state failed to provide uniform quality education, which led to chaos in society. This makes it even more difficult to accept each other as a nation. The main task of the media is to inform and raise awareness, which is vital for a progressive democracy. To ensure the proper use of a person's right to vote, the media must provide correct and credible information in a timely manner. The success of a political party also relies on the policymaking of media strategists. The entire perception of the political figure in the public mind is created by the media. The media can propagate ideas in society through propaganda mechanisms under the influence of political pressure or the policy of the financier. Such functioning of the media constitutes the main threat to the integration of a nation. The ideal role that the media should play is to serve as a link between the government and the public. It should highlight the problems in society and compel the government and the public to devise methods to eliminate these shortcomings. As the role of media in electing a democratic government cannot be neglected, it also plays a major role in maintaining the government. It serves as a checkpoint on the elected government. An ideal media should not accept government influence, and should report impartially and free of bias, keeping the national interest above all else. The print media of Pakistan played its role very responsibly in the beginning, soon after the emergence of the state. All newspapers had a strict policy of criticizing government wrongdoing. Over time, the struggle for survival in the market and the transition from passion to profession have raised questions about media transparency. Also during the military dictatorship, a number of sanctions and laws were imposed to controlmedia. The information reaching the public was censored and biased. Sometimes newspapers could not openly express their opinions and used hidden means. A major example in this regard is the title given by Nawa-e-Waqt during Ayub Khan's victory against Fatima Jinnah. Nawa-e-Waqt, which considers itself as the custodian of Pakistan's ideology, supported Fatima Jinnah, announced the news as follows: The Chief Election Commission declared Ayub Khan's victory. Another factor can be observed: in times of crisis, be it the print wars of 1965, 1971 and 1999 or martial laws has done its job keeping the national interest at the forefront, in the best possible way . The articles and reports lifted the morale of the nation. The entire nation, putting aside internal conflicts, came together and faced difficulties for the sake of its existence as a nation. The phenomenon of national integration can only be observed during the crisis in the Pakistani nation. Another example of national integration is represented during the nuclear attacks of 1998, when the nation as a whole defended its honor, defense and sovereignty. Major newspapers also invited the public to express their opinion by devoting several pages to it, and the message was clear and similar “to give a strict response to the Indian threat”. At the time when linguistic discrimination was surfacing, a major cause of the separation of East Pakistan, there was an event where students of Dhaka University were holding a rally in which the police eventually opened the fire. Five dead and hundreds injured, making it one of the rare incidents in history involving the sacrifice of life for linguistic integration. Newspapers had the delicate task of criticizing the event without labeling the figures involved as rebels, as this could aggravate the situation and threaten national integration. Although the media played its role responsibly during this time, several other factors made the separation inevitable. During the time of Ayub Khan, the implementation of press laws began to begin. The first event was the takeover of Progressive Paper Limited which published Pakistan Times, Imroz and the weekly Lail o Nahar, famous publications of the time. Subsequently, Ayub Khan continued to impose laws on the press from which several writers and writings fell victim. A famous Urdu fiction writer, Qurat ul Ain Haider, left Pakistan in 1960 when his novel Aag ka Darya sparked controversy and traveled to India. At this time, the Press and Publications Ordinance (1960) and the National Press Trust (1964) were introduced to control the press. Under Zia ul Haq's regime, newspapers were pre-censored to prevent criticism of the government from showing the public "All is well." Newspapers frustrated by this situation began leaving blank spaces at the locations of censored information. This infuriated the militant leader even more, but you can't fetter human intellect and thoughts, although you can try to stop it from expressing itself, eventually it will find a way. A famous event was the empty editorial space left in Dawn by editor Altaf Hussain, on Qaid's birthday in 1953, to speak with more eloquence than words. As Radio Pakistan and PTV were under direct government control, the public had more confidence in the press. in terms of freedom of expression, as these were controlled by large media companies. This shows the public's interest in knowing reality, its penchant for impartial information and its awareness of what.