That a conflict was simmering between the Nawaz Sharif government and the Jang Group of Newspapers, became known to die Pakistani public only after Front-page announcements in two of the group's dailies, Jong and The News, proclaimed that "after demolishing other pillars of the state, the government has now targeted the freedom of the press". Jang's decision to go open about the dispute created quite a stir and took most people by surprise, given the group's general policy of non-confrontation.
The first quarter-page advertisement, appearing on 25 January, claimed that Saifur Rehman, head of the Accountability Bureau and close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, had demanded that: the news organisation, the country's largest, sack 16 journalists and replace them with "our people"; not print anything against the Shariat bill (the controversial 15th Constitutional Amendment); support the government on the Karachi situation; not print anything about the Sharif family's loans, tax arrears, business and private affairs; and extend unconditional support to the government on various other issues.
The consequences of not falling into line had already been made clear by the government with the re-opening of several cases of wealth and income tax irregularities against Jang. For good measure, a case was also registered against the group for the alleged illegal selling of its newsprint quota.
It was obvious to all that by going public, the Jang group, known for its moderate and pragmatic attitude, was playing the greatest gamble of its more than half a century's existence. For, this meant open confrontation with a prime minister whose wars of ego had resulted in the dethroning of a president, an army chief and a chief justice of the Supreme Court.