Is speech more free in Pakistan?

The media in Pakistan has been critical of the verdict by Supreme Court Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry making Yousaf Raza Gilani ineligible for the post of Prime Minister for contempt of court. This is because Mr Gilani refused to heed court orders to investigate corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari on the grounds that a president in office is immune from prosecution. Commentators in Pakistan alleged that this was to divert attention from claims by real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz Hussain that he had paid Rs 342 million to Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of the Chief Justice to influence cases in the Supreme court. TOI, June 21. The Express Tribune called it a " judicial coup " and the Dawn said that it was " an extraordinary and unfortunate step ". Contrast this with India where 3 journalists and the publisher of Mid-Day were sentenced to 4 months in prison for contempt for writing that sealing of high street shops by Justice Sabharwal of the Supreme court was to benefit his sons who had signed a business partnership with mall developer, Purushottam Bagheria. TV news channel Times Now were fined Rs 1 billion, yes 1 billion, in November 2011 for mistakenly showing he picture of retired Supreme Court justice, PB Sawant while reporting a provident fund scam involving several judges. Times Now ran a scroll apologising for their mistake for 5 days but Justice Sawant was not satisfied and filed a case for defamation. So arrogant and puffed with self importance are the judges in India that even legitimate criticism is taken as contempt and punished and since their is no higher authority than the Supreme Court we are totally helpless. Yet, justice in India is a joke because judges allow lawyers to prolong cases for years by allowing postponements for frivolous reasons. Often the plaintiff is dead by the time judgement is delivered. Politicians and their relatives are treated with servility. Amarmani Tripathy, convicted for the murder of Madhumita Shukla, was allowed to go to Gorakhpur to perform his mother's last rights. Only victims have no rights. Meanwhile Julian Assange is seeking asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to prevent being extradited to Sweden and then on to the US. The US government is after him for publishing confidential documents passed on to him by Bradley Manning. Why is the US not prosecuting several newspapers which collaborated with Assange in publishing these documents? On 5 June, 2004 Rabinder Singh, Joint Secretary and head of R&AW's South East Asia department defected to the US with several " sensitive files ". He is now living in Virginia. Surely the US government is just as guilty of " terrorism " against India as Assange is against the US, according to charges? So, do Pakistanis enjoy the greatest freedom of speech compared to India and the US? Who would have thought that?