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Journalist Saleem Shahzad Abducted and found dead.

Here is an email he sent earlier to one of his friends from HRW regarding a meeting that he had.

Update: Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch has forwarded me an email that the late Shahzad had forwarded to him in October 2010 with the words “I am forwarding this email to you for your record only if in case something happens to me or my family in future.”

(Beginning of email)

For future reference:

Meeting details as on October 17, 2010 at the ISI headquarters Islamabad between DG Media Wing ISI, Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir and Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Bureau Chief Pakistan for Asia Times Online (Hong Kong). Commodore Khalid Pervaiz, the Deputy Director General of Media Wing ISI was also present during the conversation.

Agenda of the meeting: discussion on Asia Times Online story published on October 15, 2010, titled Pakistan frees Taliban commander (see Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan).

The meeting discussed the following issues.

1-Syed Saleem Shahzad told Rear Admiral Adnan that an intelligence channel leaked the story. However, he added that story was published only after a confirmation from the most credible Taliban source. Syed also explained that DG ISPR was sent a text message about the story, but he did not respond.

2- Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir had the view that story caused a lot of embracement for the country but observed that issuing a denial from the government side is no solution. He suggested Syed Saleem Shahzad should write a denial of the story.

3- Syed Shahzad refused to comply with demand and termed it impractical.

4-Rear Admiral Adnan was curious to know the source of the story as it is a shame that information would leak from the office of a high profile intelligence service.

5- Syed Shahzad called it an intelligence leak but did not specify the source.

6-The conversation was held in an extremely polite and friendly atmosphere and there was no mince word in the room at any stage. Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir also offered Syed Saleem Shahzad a favor in following words.

“I must give you a favor. We have recently arrested a terrorist and have recovered a lot of data, dairies and other material during the interrogation. The terrorist had a hit list with him. If I find your name in the list, I will certainly let you know,”

(end of email)

Saleem Shahzad dead: another one bites the dust (updated below with email from Shahzad to Human Rights Watch) | Asian Correspondent
 
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The ISI is not a 'farishta organization', but it had no motive to kill SS, especially after he published an article that was critical of the military.

They had no motive to kill him but they did have a motive to warn him so that he stays away from further investigations into terrorist sympathizers and collaborators in the military.

There is a strong rumor going round that he was indeed killed by ISI accidently, they only meant to give him their special 'mehman nawazi' (hospitality) and everyone knows that this hospitality leaves an individual close to death. In the case of Saleem, his underlying health problems meant that he died from an injury to his stomach.

Now I know that you will twist things around to suit your liking and give a clean chit to ISI but fact remains that credible sources had confirmed that he was picked up by the ISI and now he has been found dead.

Not only that, his second part to the controversial article might not be released now.
 
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They had no motive to kill him but they did have a motive to warn him so that he stays away from further investigations into terrorist sympathizers and collaborators in the military.

There is a strong rumor going round that he was indeed killed by ISI accidently, they only meant to give him their special 'mehman nawazi' (hospitality) and everyone knows that this hospitality leaves an individual close to death. In the case of Saleem, his underlying health problems meant that he died from an injury to his stomach.
Accidental killing or 'roughing up' makes no sense either. He was an extremely high profile journalist and any 'torture' would have been splashed across the media. And there have been lots of other journalists (Ahmed Rashid comes to mind for example) who have written some very nasty things about the military and ISI, they continue to roam around freely and publish their articles.

Sorry, but you are offering a very, very weak motive for ISI invovlement in this killing.

Now I know that you will twist things around to suit your liking and give a clean chit to ISI but fact remains that credible sources had confirmed that he was picked up by the ISI and now he has been found dead.
'Credible sources' have only indicated that he mentioned being contacted by the ISI - I have yet to see an confirmation that it was (a) Indeed the ISI that contacted him (b) That it was the ISI that abducted him.
 
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They had no motive to kill him but they did have a motive to warn him so that he stays away from further investigations into terrorist sympathizers and collaborators in the military.

There is a strong rumor going round that he was indeed killed by ISI accidently, they only meant to give him their special 'mehman nawazi' (hospitality) and everyone knows that this hospitality leaves an individual close to death. In the case of Saleem, his underlying health problems meant that he died from an injury to his stomach.

Now I know that you will twist things around to suit your liking and give a clean chit to ISI but fact remains that credible sources had confirmed that he was picked up by the ISI and now he has been found dead.

Not only that, his second part to the controversial article might not be released now.

I think it is ISI's way of warning other journalists, that they should not cross the red line. Light banter or even wild allegation against ISI is okey, but serious investigative reporting is not.
Famous journalists or those in big media houses wont face problem, but people like Shahzad face danger.
 
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6-The conversation was held in an extremely polite and friendly atmosphere and there was no mince word in the room at any stage. Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir also offered Syed Saleem Shahzad a favor in following words.

“I must give you a favor. We have recently arrested a terrorist and have recovered a lot of data, dairies and other material during the interrogation. The terrorist had a hit list with him. If I find your name in the list, I will certainly let you know,”

Certainly does not sound like the ISI had it in for him - meeting held in a very 'polite and friendly atmosphere'.

And killiing Saleem Shehzad certainly does not resolve the issue of who his source is, whose identification would be the ISI's main priority.

---------- Post added at 06:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:35 PM ----------

I think it is ISI's way of warning other journalists, that they should not cross the red line. Light banter or even wild allegation against ISI is okey, but serious investigative reporting is not.
Famous journalists or those in big media houses wont face problem, but people like Shahzad face danger.

SS was a famous journalist and part of a 'big media house'.
 
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Accidental killing or 'roughing up' makes no sense either. He was an extremely high profile journalist and any 'torture' would have been splashed across the media. And there have been lots of other journalists (Ahmed Rashid comes to mind for example) who have written some very nasty things about the military and ISI, they continue to roam around freely and publish their articles.

Sorry, but you are offering a very, very weak motive for ISI invovlement in this killing.

Saleem wasn't just another high profile journalist but one who had deep links with both the security and militant organizations. His articles gave a glimpse into what actually happened while others were speculating or trying to locate sources for events being reported upon. His story is being splashed all over the media where a lot of anger is being directed towards ISI who was supposed to have him in custody.

This particular story he broke recently about 'cells' within PN was a great find and worth investigating but a lot of people might be very uncomfortable with such stories being published.

If it were militants who killed him, he would have been killed in a different manner than being tortured before eventual death.

'Credible sources' have only indicated that he mentioned being contacted by the ISI - I have yet to see an confirmation that it was (a) Indeed the ISI that contacted him (b) That it was the ISI that abducted him.

Well you will never get the kind of confirmation that you expect but believe me, he was in ISI's custody, what happened later is just a guess for now.
 
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Could it have been the very people that Shahzad had identified within the Navy? Seeing as the game was up they took him out.
 
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I think it is ISI's way of warning other journalists, that they should not cross the red line. Light banter or even wild allegation against ISI is okey, but serious investigative reporting is not.
Famous journalists or those in big media houses wont face problem, but people like Shahzad face danger.

lol, another conspiracy tagged to ISI, hey indian, can you just post the proves that isi is behanid all of this??

you guys just dont get tired do you???

741120090_8cc0686c16.jpg
 
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Journalist Saleem Shahzad slain

* Saleem’s car found from Sarai Alamgir and his dead body from Rasool Headworks

* Marks of severe torture on the body

Staff Report

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD: Renowned journalist Saleem Shahzad was found dead near Mandi Bahauddin on Tuesday despite the promises by unidentified kidnappers, through emails and phone calls, to his family and friends that he was safe and will be released within 24 hours.

Police first found Shahzad’s car near Sarai Alamgir and later recovered his dead body from Rasool Headworks.

Doctors, who performed autopsy, found marks of severe torture on the journalist’s face and abdomen. They said that Shahzad was brutally tortured as a number of his ribs were also broken. “He had bruises on his forehead and in ribs,” said a friend of the dead journalist.

Earlier, Mandi Bahauddin Police insisted on handing over the body to Islamabad Police but the latter claimed that the case should be handled by the former, as the body was recovered from its jurisdiction.

Later, Mandi Bahauddin Police registered a case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Saleem Shahzad, 40, worked for an Italian news agency and an online news site registered in Hong Kong. He went missing on Sunday after he left his home in Islamabad to take part in a television talk show, but never arrived. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the killing and ordered an inquiry into the incident. He also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. He assured that the culprits would be brought to book at any cost.

Shahzad had narrowly escaped a murder attempt on August 6, 2010 when he received a bullet in the chest fired by a security guard of the Ninth Club in Islamabad. Shahzad had said it was an attempt to kill him.


brutal tortured by militants?
 
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but believe me, he was in ISI's custody, what happened later is just a guess for now.

Why should I merely 'believe you'?

You certainly don't like people accusing 'RAW, MOSSAD and the CIA' without 'credible evidence'.

The fact is that 'liberals' themselves parrot conspiracy theories about the 'agencies, establishment and deep state' left and right. What you are doing here is no different.

Let me know if you actually have any credible evidence indicating ISI complicity.
 
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If anything, Saleem Shehzad's last report indicated that the Military was actively targeting the extremist sympathizers in the navy, and that AQ was 'angry' about the arrests made by Pak intelligence.

That is a favorable report on the Military's efforts, not a negative one.
 
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A Pakistani journalist who was feared abducted after he went missing on Sunday has been found dead, his family has confirmed.

Police said Saleem Shahzad's body was found in a canal in Mandi Baha Uddin in Pakistan's northern Gujarat district.

Earlier, Human Rights Watch researcher Ali Dayan Hasan said he had "credible information" that Shahzad was in the custody of Pakistani intelligence.

He recently wrote an article about al-Qaeda infiltration in Pakistan's navy.

He reported that the militant group had launched the deadly assault on the Mehran base in Karachi, the headquarters of the navy's air wing, on 22 May because talks had failed over the release of several naval personnel arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda affiliates.

At least 14 people were killed and two navy warplanes destroyed.

On Monday, a former navy commando and his brother were detained for their alleged role in helping plan the raid, which embarrassed the military.
Inquiry

Shahzad's family said he had disappeared after leaving his home in Islamabad on Sunday evening and heading to a television station to participate in a talkshow.

They immediately issued statements saying they feared for his safety.

The 40-year-old's body was found by local residents in a canal in the Sarai Alamgir area of Mandi Baha Uddin, some 150km (93 miles) south-east of the capital. His car was found about 10km (six miles) away.

The head of Margalla police station in Islamabad, Fayaz Tanoli, told the BBC that the local police force took photographs of the body and informed his officers on Monday that it might be Shahzad's.

The photographs were shown to Shahzad's brother-in-law, Hamza Amir, who identified the remains. Police said he had cuts to his face.

Relatives later travelled to Sarai Alamgir to confirm he was dead.

Mr Hasan of Human Rights Watch said Shahzad had recently complained about being threatened by the intelligence arm of the Pakistan military, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI).

After writing one article in October, Shahzad was summoned to an ISI office, where an intelligence officer issued what appeared to be a veiled threat, he added. Shahzad sent him notes of the meeting "in case something happens to me or my family".

"The perpetrators of this murder have to be identified through a transparent inquiry and due process, and must be held accountable. However, Human Rights Watch is aware that Saleem Shahzad had claimed to have received multiple threats from the ISI, and we regard those threats as credible," Mr Hasan said in a statement.

"While it is yet to be determined who killed him, the manner of his killing is reminiscent of other incidents where there was credible intelligence of involvement by Pakistan intelligence services."

Mr Hasan said he had been told by some Pakistani government officials that they believed Shahzad was in ISI custody.senior Pakistani intelligence official told the Associated Press it was "absurd" to say that the ISI had anything to do with Shahzad's death.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said: "We are losing our professional colleagues but the government never unearths who is behind the killing of journalists."

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed his heartfelt condolences to Shahzad's family and ordered an immediate inquiry into his kidnapping and murder.

Shahzad, who had a wife and three children, worked for the Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) and was Pakistan bureau chief for Asia Times Online.

Human rights groups recently called Pakistan the most dangerous place in the world for journalists to operate, saying they were under threat from Islamist militants but also Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies.

BBC News - Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad found dead
 
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New kind of militant' behind Pakistan Karachi attack

The deadly 15-hour siege on Pakistan's Mehran naval airbase in Karachi on Monday was carried out by attackers with military-level training, raising suspicions they had inside help.

Questions are being asked about the security of Pakistan's vital military installations after a well-organised group of gunmen held off Pakistan's equivalent of the US Navy Seals - the Special Services Group-Navy (SSG-N) - for 15 hours.

The SSG-N is said to be the most formidable fighting force in Pakistan, but - for a few hours at least - they appeared to be at the mercy of a brazen group of fighters.

"They weren't any ordinary militants - certainly not the Taliban," said one security official, who wished to remain unnamed.

"The aim of all Taliban attacks is maximum death and destruction - these men were very focused on what they were after."
Speed and organisation

From the beginning it was clear the attackers had an intricate knowledge of the base and its vulnerable areas. They were tactically assured and the operation had clearly been long in the planning.

"They came over the wall cutting the wire on the eastern side of the base," another official told the BBC, adding that it was one of the weak points. The militants knew and exploited this - just one piece of inside knowledge they had.

"That side is just next to the runway - and the guard tower is at a distance because planes land regularly."

The first time the militants were seen was when they appeared on the runway, weapons at the ready. "The [navy] men couldn't believe their eyes," says the official.

A number of officials listed to me their observations, which reinforced the conviction that they were being confronted with a new kind of militant attack:

Military formation: One injured sailor told an official that the attackers "moved and dressed like us". The militants moved in tactical military formation and spoke in military parlance. They spoke between themselves in Urdu, as well as a foreign language.
Clothing and equipment: The militants wore combat fatigues, according to officials - and had night vision goggles, carrying rocket propelled grenades [RPGs]. "It takes months of training for ease with the goggles, and years to be expert," an official told me.
Tactics and a plan: One witness said that even though the militants had clear sight of them, "they ignored us... Instead, they just aimed RPGs at the two Orions [planes] parked on the tarmac." They were clearly under instructions to destroy military hardware. They also changed tactics easily and broke away in groups, which clearly had different aims.
Crack shots: "They were excellent shots - as good as any we have," said a security official involved in the operation. They used their night vision goggles to maximum effect, witnesses say - and that was an advantage they had until the SSG-N team arrived at the scene. When the gun battle began, one security official said, it was clear that these men could "hold their own" in a firefight. The fact that they had M16 carbines and sniper rifles also set them apart.

Officials says all of this is in strong contrast to the Taliban, who adopt an equally brutal but more chaotic mode of attack. "Their best weapon is the suicide bomber - they are notoriously poor shots," one official told me.

"They were the exception to every rule of Pakistan militant tactics.

"They were also not about killing people," the official said. "It was clear they were interested in the destruction of equipment, a much more 'military' aim."

Shock and disbelief

It was only the sheer numbers of the naval personnel that prevented further damage to the aircraft in the base, one naval spokesman said.

Even so, the ferocity, speed and organisation of the onslaught still came as a shock. The planes were in flames and a gun battle was being fought within minutes.

But one of the attackers in particular caught the attention of those who were watching and bearing the brunt of the attack.

"A small young man with a light beard who later dropped his M16 for two Uzi submachine guns. He was particularly deadly - he killed one soldier with a single shot at over 600 yards."

Another clue as to the level of their training and proficiency was their ability to change tactics. One witness recounted how in the midst of the firefight the attackers appeared to change their minds and back off.

They appeared to be going for the barracks housing the Chinese engineers. Another firefight broke out until a new detachment of naval marines got to the Chinese barracks. The militants, when they realised what was happening, opened fire on the armoured vehicles the Chinese engineers were being taken away in.
Inside help

Everything about the attack pointed to a detailed knowledge of the barracks. After the Chinese engineers were taken away, they broke up into groups and one group took refuge in a nearby barracks.

"They used the building to maximum effect - they knew it and the surrounding area inside out," the official said.

"We later discovered plans to the whole compound on them."

The SSG-N finally got into the barracks and killed the remaining militants. The attackers had clearly come prepared for a long siege, bringing bags of dried fruit as rations.

Officials dismiss the explanation that the attack was in retaliation for Osama Bin Laden's death. "This took months of planning - the only parallel I can think of is Mumbai [Bombay]," one said.

Gunmen killed 165 people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and India has repeatedly accused Pakistan and its ISI intelligence agency of involvement in them.

"This maybe the first attack of its kind [in Pakistan]," the security official said. "But it's definitely not the last."

Officials say the only other time they have encountered such ferocity and training is in fighting al-Qaeda militants - especially Chechens and Uzbeks - in Pakistan's tribal areas.

"The way they went about their business - I could almost say they were our own commandos," says the security official.

He is not the only one who thinks that some of those involved in the attack may be serving military personnel or ex-servicemen.

BBC News - 'New kind of militant' behind Pakistan Karachi attack
 
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Some fools are acting like hindustani media there a news is out and they blame ISI without any credible evidence. To some Fools read the article there is nothing in that article that points to ISI being involved. It was already on media news channels all over there might be internal help involved and certain men were arrested. Shireen Mazari and many other wrote and talked about it there is absolutely nothing revealing in part 1 of his article.
 
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Incidence has finger-prints of those ppl killed in Quetta, on whose bodies messages were carved with knife...

ISI was implicated,,, but an army personnel catagorically rejected such claims,,,

Remember Mushy abducted "laa-pataa-afraad",,, that's how ISI works,, silently making ppl disappear,,,

ISI does NOT torture & throw tortured bodies for media to get hyper-on...

This seems to be another attempt to malign ISI... which is supported by the fact that ONLY international sources are "revealing" ISI threatinening SS... Just like Osama's wife was in Pak custody but BBC was reporting what statements she gave... ridiculous & blatant lies.

Journalist Saleem Shahzad slain

* Saleem’s car found from Sarai Alamgir and his dead body from Rasool Headworks

* Marks of severe torture on the body

Staff Report

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD: Renowned journalist Saleem Shahzad was found dead near Mandi Bahauddin on Tuesday despite the promises by unidentified kidnappers, through emails and phone calls, to his family and friends that he was safe and will be released within 24 hours.

Police first found Shahzad’s car near Sarai Alamgir and later recovered his dead body from Rasool Headworks.

Doctors, who performed autopsy, found marks of severe torture on the journalist’s face and abdomen. They said that Shahzad was brutally tortured as a number of his ribs were also broken. “He had bruises on his forehead and in ribs,” said a friend of the dead journalist.

Earlier, Mandi Bahauddin Police insisted on handing over the body to Islamabad Police but the latter claimed that the case should be handled by the former, as the body was recovered from its jurisdiction.

Later, Mandi Bahauddin Police registered a case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Saleem Shahzad, 40, worked for an Italian news agency and an online news site registered in Hong Kong. He went missing on Sunday after he left his home in Islamabad to take part in a television talk show, but never arrived. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the killing and ordered an inquiry into the incident. He also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. He assured that the culprits would be brought to book at any cost.

Shahzad had narrowly escaped a murder attempt on August 6, 2010 when he received a bullet in the chest fired by a security guard of the Ninth Club in Islamabad. Shahzad had said it was an attempt to kill him.


brutal tortured by militants?
 
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