New York Stock exchange front screen misused by FSP officials

[Xeric]

New York Stock exchange donated its front screen for Pakistani flood affected here on Wednesday, for one hour , but Pakistani Counsel General to New York Babar Hashmi and commercial counselor Muhammad Amer use this golden opportunity for there own publicity .

According to details the president of New York Stock exchange want to help and show solidarity with millions of those Pakistanis who are badly affected by the recent flood.

New York stock exchange offered there front screen which is face to the world most visited spot Time Square , that Pakistani consulate can run there appeal for donation for millions flood effected Pakistanis, but sadly Mr Babar Hashmi and Mr Amer run there own photos with the background of a Pakistani green flag and one slide has a text , “Well come to New York from the Consulate General of Pakistan Mr R.S.A Babar Hashmi .
New York Stock exchange donated its front screen for Pakistani flood affected here on Wednesday, for one hour , but Pakistani Counsel General to New York Babar Hashmi and commercial counselor Muhammad Amer use this golden opportunity for there own publicity .

According to details the president of New York Stock exchange want to help and show solidarity with millions of those Pakistanis who are badly affected by the recent flood.

New York stock exchange offered there front screen which is face to the world most visited spot Time Square , that Pakistani consulate can run there appeal for donation for millions flood effected Pakistanis, but sadly Mr Babar Hashmi and Mr Amer run there own photos with the background of a Pakistani green flag and one slide has a text , “Well come to New York from the Consulate General of Pakistan Mr R.S.A Babar Hashmi

here is the link >http://jootaymaro.com/pakistani-coun...f-the-century/

[mdanishtaha]

PPP Gov. just for it here

[Robina Qadeer]

very Bad......... leaders please change your mindset.

[Muhammad Arif Shah]

i don't understand them, how could someone be that irresponsible ???

[moonsalpha]

Where is the Appeal Message? For Flood relief, it's fine to flag the Pakistan on NYSE but there should be at-least a line that Please donate to President's Relief Camp or something, Well let's see what would Establishment Division take actions against both or none.

[Examiner]

I am astonished to find the "New York Stock Exchange Front Screen Misused by FSP Officials" and the accompanying youtube video clip posted on this forum, which is generally used and staffed by literate and socially well-oriented individuals.

First, the write-up it contains appears to have been written by a semi-literate hack. That alone should have indicated the worth of the information it could possibly contain. Second, the youtube video clip given there only presents what appears to support the claims made in the report, excluding what the whole program at NASDAQ was all about. Third, the text of the post has been lifted verbatim from another (dubious) website, and the youtube video clip is also the same as shown by some propaganda machinery working elsewhere. Fourth, all this appears in this forum without any checking of the facts pertaining to the event and any critical examination of the matter. In this case, I fear, this forum has been misused.

The whole item is a media hoax created to malign the decent officers still in the service of Pakistan. The misreporting is not to be forgiven. The event mentioned took place at NASDAQ, New York, not at the NYSE. The media event was no more than 15 minutes long. The Consul General was invited to ring the closing bell of the market day of 25th August, as the Chief Guest. Before ringing the closing bell, he took the opportunity to speak for 2 minutes on behalf of the flood affected people in Pakistan and appealed for assistance. His visit and his statement were webcast/broadcast on the NASDAQ front screen in Times Square and all over the world. According to the NASDAQ tradition, bell-ringing , for which he was invited, would have been it. But he did more, far more for Pakistan. The country and its diplomats were honored that day in Times Square, where only a few months ago a bombing plot by criminals had made Pakistan an unmentionable word.

Here is the video link of the whole NASDAQ program for the Pakistan Consul General's visit: http://mktvideo.nasdaq.com/MarketSit.../mc_082510.wmv

See for yourself and judge how the propaganda machinery has abused parts of the Pakistani media and even this forum.

To their credit, Pakistani newspapers like the Business Recorder(August 26, 2010), Daily Times (August 27, 2010), and Pakistan Observer (August 28, 2010) reported the event as it was. Subsequently, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad has also contradicted some media reports (such as the one given at this forum) that concocted a 1 hour media event in New York with Pakistani diplomats in focus. False, hacks, and perfidy! Newspapers like The Nation (3 September) and Pakistan Observer (3 September) have reported the spokesman's statement. As a result of the appeal made by the Consul General, donations for the flood affected people have followed and are being deposited, as the accounts show, with the relevant places.

High time we all realized how the politicians and the military have been trying to decimate the civil service in Pakistan for four decades or longer. All civil service cadres are under attack, and there are attempts to blame the bureaucracy for all ills brought on by the mafias that actually control the Pakistani set-up. The Foreign Service of Pakistan, now largely populated by political appointees and overloaded with military inductions, has long been a prime target for these mafias. They can not tolerate the existence of any career officers of integrity or those whose commitment is to the state of Pakistan. Do you not remember that the last military government even tried to make the civil service of Pakistan both superfluous and irrelevant to actual governance of the country through the NRB Plan?

The Consul General of Pakistan is an honorable senior career officer. He and other diplomats at the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York have done us all in Pakistan proud by raising the Pakistan flag in Times Square and apprising the world about who we are and what we need to do at this time. We also need to examine our institutions and our information systems so that we are able at least to tell one thing from another. Somebody may have said this before: Recognize your true friends, but first know thyself.

[Examiner]

Finally, on this matter, the Press Release issued on 13 September, 2010 by the Consulate General, New York clarifies everything: http://pakistanconsulateny.org/PDF/PRESS_RELEASE.PDF


Consulate General of Pakistan, New York
PRESS RELEASE

“The Consulate General of Pakistan, New York has already briefed members of the media about the factual position regarding the launching of an appeal for assistance to Pakistan flood victims at the NASDAQ Stock Exchange on 25th August, 2010. The Foreign Office spokesman in Islamabad has contradicted the malicious propaganda reports already. However, unfortunately, even three weeks after that event, inaccurate, defamatory, twisted, and extremely misleading material about the Consulate and its officials has been circulated through Pakistani media. This Press Release by the Consulate General should set the record straight once and for all.

“Let it be understood clearly that the Consulate did not participate in any New York Stock Exchange event. It participated in a NASDAQ OMX event, which was not offered as a forum for Pakistan-related issues but only to ring the closing bell of the market day, a routine ceremonial occasion. Its duration was not one hour screen or air time. Pakistani diplomats were not photographed there for any personal gain but were part of the NASDAQ official live webcast routine program of the day which was about 15 minutes long. As coordinated by the Consulate’s Commercial Section, the Consul General accepted the invitation on his condition that he could launch a Pakistan Help appeal for flood affectees before concluding the NASDAQ official ceremony. Eventually, he did precisely that. The NASDAQ video record of the event in their official archives (link given below) shows the actual event and its total duration besides the contents:
http://mktvideo.nasdaq.com/MarketSit.../mc_082510.wmv

“NASDAQ official video record shows that the event was conducted as usual by NASDAQ and Pakistani diplomats represented Pakistan as the occasion required. Although only the guests of the day are normally shown on their media screen, the Consulate General had made a special request to screen a 3-minute video showing the flood situation in Pakistan , but the video clip offered by the Consulate was declined by NASDAQ. The NASDAQ forum is not a collection point, but Consul General Hashmi took the occasion, for 2 minutes as programmed by the hosts, to make a statement for the flood-affected people in Pakistan and he drew the world’s attention to this challenge. A supporting statement of 2 minutes was also read by the Vice Chair of NASDAQ. Thus it should be evident that in certain cases, the nature, contents, duration, and shape of the entire programme have been misreported by some media channels.

“Several media channels, however, have shown considerable professional responsibility in keeping the Pakistani people properly informed. Regardless of examples of erroneous and tendentious reporting of its normal activities, the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York will continue with its efforts to seek donations for the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2010. It will also continue to serve Pakistanis and safeguard Pakistan ’s interest within its jurisdiction at every suitable forum and in every appropriate way.

New York
Sept.13, 2010″[/B]

Among the lessons to be learnt from this episode, the following two appear uppermost. (1) You can not do any good or anything correct and proper in public service without providing an opportunity to evil spin doctors. (2) Both government and media may join hands in selective conspiracies, of silence and speech, to gain their goals that are not in public view.

The silver lining: ordinary people are good people. They inquire, and they keep looking for the right answers to the evil games being played at their cost. They are able to look through it all. Members may want to see the following note somebody posted recently at: "Babar Hashmi at NASDAQ Closing Bell" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwJxgbaI28c

np4341 | September 15, 2010
A few days ago some Pakistani TV channels had reported that Babar Hashmi, the Consulate General of Pakistan at New York wasted a golden opportunity to raise funds for Pakistani flood victims. According to the TV channel, NASDAQ had offered 60 minutes of free time on the big screen at Times square to show video clips of flood victims.

It was pretty upsetting news at first but when I did some research of my own, I found the allegations to baseless. It appears that the story was twisted by the media for some reason and I just wanted to get the record straight.

Above is the actual video of the NASDAQ closing bell on August 25th 2010. According to Marketwatch.com (see link below) this event was just an invitation for the closing bell of NASDAQ markets and had nothing to do with 60 minutes free time for Pakistani flood victims. The total time of the event was 10-15 minutes 3: 45PM to 4:00 PM. Mr. Hashmi, the chief guest and vice chairman of the NASDAQ were to speak briefly which they did. Consulate General had offered a 3 minutes video of floods in Pakistan but it was declined on technical grounds. Mr. Hashmi did manage to get the message across though during the 2 minutes of his allowed time.

The purpose of this post is to remind the media outlets of their responsibility. As it is Pakistan is facing many problems on all fronts, stories like these make matters worst. It portrays a very negative image of Pakistan. Untrue stories like these have been hurting the efforts to raise funds for the flood victims. Pakistanis residing overseas want to help but because of such stories, many have been holding off on the donations.

NASDAQ Official Video
http://mktvideo.nasdaq.com/MarketSite...
CBS Market watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cons...

[Examiner]

There is a lesson for everybody and every profession in the NASDAQ episode. Most important, patriotic and dutiful officials have been harmed in this indecent process by sensationalist media and a brain-dead ruling set. Read and see also how journalism should work, if it is journalism, and if it is to serve any national interest: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/16...ned-at-nasdaq/


What really happened at Nasdaq?

Shibli Siddiqi

A recent popular story concerning Pakistan’s Consul General in New York, Mr Babar Hashmi, is circulating on news channels, newspapers and internet blogs. According to the story on August 25, 2010, the Nasdaq Stock Market, an American stock exchange, offered the consul general an hour of free-of-charge use of its seven-storey tall MarketSite Tower, a massive video display in Times Square in New York, to broadcast an appeal for Pakistan’s flood victims. Given the high visibility of the display, it was expected that this would garner at least one million dollars in donations. Hashmi, allegedly squandered the opportunity by broadcasting his own images instead. He has been thoroughly vilified for this action. However, an investigation of the issue questions the veracity of this widespread account.

According to an official Nasdaq press release issued on GlobeNewswire on August 24, 2010, the Pakistani Consul General was invited to Nasdaq’s prestigious Closing Bell ceremony that signifies the end of the day’s trading. The whole event was scheduled to last for fifteen minutes, from 3:45pm to 40pm.

The bell ringing

Hashmi attended the ceremony along with his commercial attaché, Muhammad Aamer. The Closing Bell began with brief introductions by two Nasdaq officials, including Meyer Frucher, the Vice Chairman of Nasdaq OMX, the parent company that owns and operates the Nasdaq Stock Market. Frucher himself spoke about the challenges faced by Pakistan and the country’s relationship with the US. Hashmi followed him to the rostrum and spoke for the allotted time of just over two minutes. He discussed the floods ravaging Pakistan and appealed for assistance, providing information on a donations account in the New York branch of the National Bank of Pakistan and on Pakistan International Airlines’ free relief service.

Images from this appeal, and from a brief photo-session that had immediately followed, continued to be displayed on the Nasdaq Tower following the Closing Bell ceremony. Archival footage of the entire ceremony is freely available on Nasdaq’s website.

Aamer clarified that said:

“The media event at Nasdaq was no more than 15 minutes long. The consul general was invited to only ring the closing bell of the market day on August 25, 2010, as the chief guest. He turned the simple bell ringing event into an opportunity for highlighting the plight of the flood affected people of his country."

Findings

According to sources, the Pakistani Consulate was given the opportunity to play a video clip for 30 seconds, not one hour. This position has been reiterated by both the Consulate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its press briefings on September 2 and September 9. Moreover, in response to inquiries, a Nasdaq spokesperson stated via email that:

“Nasdaq gives organizations participating in bell ceremonies the option to run a 30-second video on the Nasdaq MarketSite Tower within a given timeframe. The Consulate General of Pakistan in New York provided a video message for the Nasdaq MarketSite Tower and the Closing Bell on August 25, 2010.

”However, it has not been verified whether a 30-second video clip was in fact played and has only obtained unconfirmed reports that there were last-minute technical difficulties in playing the provided video that could not be rectified in time, including that the video was either not in the requisite format or that it was too long for the 30-second slot. Nasdaq’s spokesperson only stated that,

“The Consulate General of Pakistan in New York plans to take the opportunity to broadcast a video message on the Nasdaq MarketSite Tower in the near future, and Nasdaq looks forward to continuing its show of support for the flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

”Nasdaq has already made good on its word. On September 3 Nasdaq invited the American arm of the UNHCR to the Closing Bell ceremony. The UNHCR’s appeal for flood relief in Pakistan was also broadcast on the Tower, accompanied by a video featuring Hollywood actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie.

Media Distortion

Details about this event are widely available, including the aforementioned official Nasdaq sources, and fair coverage of the event that appeared in most newspapers. However, the narrative that has taken hold in the Pakistani media makes little or no mention of Hashmi’s attendance at Nasdaq’s Closing Bell ceremony as the source of the images transmitted on the Tower.

There are a number of glaring discrepancies in reports on private media channesl. One correspondent referred to the Nasdaq Tower behind him as a screen belonging to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) – despite the fact that the screen visibly flashed the word “Nasdaq”. In fact, the NYSE and Nasdaq are two separate and competing stock exchanges.

The correspondent also made the assertion that the Pakistani Consulate had been given an entire hour to air a video about the floods, and claimed that an unnamed executive at the NYSE expressed dismay that Pakistan was unable to take advantage of their offer. This official allegedly stated, “I think we are stupid that we made this offer to Pakistan.” If the quote is indeed genuine, it is unclear what the executive was referring to, given that the Tower belongs to Nasdaq, and not the NYSE.

Information flow

It appears that this story was then ad-libbed by a number of other media houses with minor changes and without any meaningful corroboration. Some later accounts have even stood in blatant contrast to the select images that were shown in the Pakistani media. For example, one news cast showed that the Tower displayed the message, “Nasdaq welcomes Consul General of Pakistan in New York Mr AS Babar Hashmi,” a variation of a standard greeting that is displayed for most guests invited to the Closing Bell. This message has been contorted in a number of stories to instead say, “Welcome to New York from the Consul General of Pakistan Mr AS Babar Hashmi.”

Speaking out against this, Aamer, expressed frustration at the circulating story, stating:

“Consulate officials do their work professionally and it is hoped that they will be allowed to do so particularly at this difficult time in the history of Pakistan.

”Another official at the Foreign Office speaking on condition of anonymity stated the matter was being “looked into by higher ups”. However, the official expressed disappointment at the story circulating in the media, saying:

“The misperception will make it hard for big people and companies [like Nasdaq] to support Pakistan in the future. It’s too much of a headache. It makes us look unappreciative and ungrateful."

Political Manipulation?

The consul general’s story has also acquired political hues, with repeated calls for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct an inquiry. Further, an article in a local daily claimed that it was not only the Hashmi’s images that appeared on the screens but also those of the late Benazir Bhutto. This account is contradicted by the official Nasdaq footage of the event. The story has also been repeated in a popular op-ed in the same daily where PML Q MNA Nosheen Saeed has turned it into a searing criticism of the government.

It is unclear whether political partisanship played a role in distorting the story. It is equally unclear how such disinformation entered the mainstream news-cycle, and why a number of reputable media groups across the country accepted, and perhaps even embellished, it without adequate checking.

Special thanks to Mr Siddiq Mohammed for generously sharing his expertise on the workings of Nasdaq and the NYSE