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Hamid Mir, a primetime TV talk show host, has reacted angrily to an attack on fellow Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor this week. Without explicitly naming anyone in the Pakistan Army or the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence Service), Mir has accused their leadership of cowardice in allegedly ordering attacks on journalists. Dredging up the name of "General Rani", believed to have been former Army Chief and President Yahya Khan's mistress in the 1970s, Hamid Mir has threatened to reveal similar scandals of current Pakistan Army generals.
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Hamid Mir (2nd from right) with Asad Toor |
Pakistan
ISI has denied any role in the attack on Toor. A
statement of the agency said: "The ISI believes that when the faces of the accused can be clearly seen on CCTV, there should be no hurdle in the investigation" It further added, "The continuation of such allegations shows that the ISI is being targeted [...] under an organized conspiracy".
This entire episode has raised the following questions:
1. Why the attacks on journalists in Pakistan? Are they specially targeted? Are other ordinary citizens subjected to similar but less publicized attacks? Is it a symptom of a larger phenomenon of failing criminal justice system?
2. Why are the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies automatically blamed without any investigation or evidence? Whose responsibility is it to carry out such investigations and prosecute perpetrators?
3. Has
Hamid Mir crossed the line between journalism and propaganda? Are some Pakistani journalists deliberately maligning Pakistani military and ISI leadership in the name of
free speech? Should they be investigated for slander?
4. Where do most Pakistanis stand vis-a-vis the military? Do they have greater
confidence in the military or the journalists who blame the military for attacks?
Please watch the following discussion on this subject:
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
South Asia Investor Review
Hamid Mir's Ties to Militants & Spies
Free Speech: Myth vs Reality
CIA Officer Michael Scheuer on ISI
Social Media: Blessing or Curse For Pakistan?
Planted Stories in Media
Indian BJP Troll Farm
Kulbhushan Jadhav Caught in Balochistan
The Story of Pakistan's M8 Motorway
Pakistan-China-Russia vs India-Japan-US
Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel
PakAlumni Social Network
News, analysis and opinions about India, Pakistan, US, Canada, Europe, Mid East, South Asia, Silicon Valley, High Technology, Economy, Politics, World
www.riazhaq.com