Four million living under Taliban rule in Pakistan: Amnesty

In this file picture taken on June 10, 2010 a militant guards two criminals before their public execution in Bara, the main town in the Khyber tribal region. — AFP

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Ex-major’s loyalties embody jihad woes

Ex-major’s loyalties embody jihad woes

ISLAMABAD: Human rights group Amnesty International said Thursday that nearly four million people are effectively living under Taliban rule in northwest Pakistan and have been abandoned by the government.

The 130-page report entitled “As if Hell Fell on Me: The Human Rights Crisis in Northwest Pakistan” is likely to ruffle Pakistani officials who believe they made great strides last year in regaining ground from the Taliban.

The London-based organisation said there were credible reports that at least 1,300 civilians were killed during fighting in the northwest in 2009.

There has been little official word on civilians hurt in anti-Taliban campaigns.

“Nearly four million people are effectively living under the Taliban in northwest Pakistan without rule of law and effectively abandoned by the Pakistani government,” said Amnesty's acting head, Claudio Cordone.

The group called the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) a “human rights free zone” and said more than one million displaced people were “in desperate need of aid”.

It urged Pakistan and the Taliban to prevent loss of civilian life and allow unfettered aid workers' access to provide food, shelter and medical supplies to the injured and displaced.

“We have an historic opportunity regarding Fata right now,” Amnesty's Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi told AFP.

The international community has put up donor funds and Pakistani troops are operating in an “unprecedented” six of the seven tribal agencies, he said.

“The old tribal order has been hugely disrupted by the Taliban and we have a civilian government in Pakistan that has talked about short and medium-term reform. There is an opportunity to do something about the people of Fata.”The British colonial-era law governing Fata denies residents basic rights and protections, including their rights to political representation, judicial appeal and freedom from collective punishment.

“The Pakistani government has to follow through on its promises to bring the region out of this human rights black hole and place the people of Fata under the protection of the law and constitution of Pakistan,” said Cordone.

Amnesty, which based its report on nearly 300 interviews with residents in the northwest, accused Pakistan of launching “heavy handed” operations, including “indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks”.

It said the Taliban were guilty of systematic abuses, killing those who challenge their authority and imposing their rule through torture and other ill-treatment, targeting women, teachers, aid workers and political activists.

Insurgents increased the likelihood of civilian casualties by dispersing themselves in communities and blocking roads to prevent villagers from escaping “heavy bombardment by government forces”.

But a Pakistani security official contacted by AFP challenged Amnesty to visit Swat, where commanders say a decisive battle last year returned much of the northwest valley to relative normality after a two-year uprising.

Significant territory that fell to the Taliban had been regained and urgent efforts were being made to stabilise the areas allowing the displaced to return as soon as it was safe, the official said. – AFP

Attacks in Lahore: Wajib-ul-qatal!!

by Saad Mansoor

95 people killed and hundreds wounded but what I failed to understand was that what was the fuss about? My family and friends were truly horrified, in fact saddened, disgusted and many other things, but I remain confused, why?! Were not those who died Ahmedis? Correction; Qadiyanis? Were those not Ahmedi Mosques? Correction: Qadiyani places of worship? Didn't the maulvi sahab say these people were wajib-ul-qatl?


Not long ago I was in a debate with someone at my workplace who advocated how and why ahmedis are wajib-ul-qatl i.e. those whom a Muslim is duty bound to kill. The fact that the term was never present in the days of Prophet Muhammad pbuh or the four succeeding righteous caliphs aside, the term is accepted by almost all the clerics of Pakistan who rely on jurisprudence of the clergy of medieval age of Islam when religion was abundantly used to crush any dissenting voices against the Ummayad, Abbasid and Ottoman caliphs.

The point?! Point of the matter is that all these clerics like Mufti Muneeb and religo-political leaders like Munawar Hasan, Fazal-ur-Rahman and others firmly believe that Ahmedis should be killed. They are not alone, they are joined in the fray by almost the entire educated middle class of Pakistan who firmly believed until a year back that Taliban are good and their version of shariat will prevail, as Islam will emerge victorious over the West.

They also believe that, tazeers that is man made punishments like killing the apostates and the blasphemer, flogging the alcoholics and the unveiled and stoning the adulterer are necessities without which our faith would be incomplete.

They believe that Taliban are on the right path, in fact many women among this 'educated' middle class of ours firmly believe that Taliban's prohibition of female education was entirely justified. Obviously a major chunk of these women remain in denial and would have us believe that it was all media propaganda and not Taliban but Indian agents destroyed these schools in disguise.

The media, staffed by this exact middle class, sympathizes with Taliban. It is the same media who was madly criticizing the government when it was reluctant in signing the Swat Nizam-e-Adal pact and when it was conducting an operation. But today it was a new low altogether, the shameless display of yellow journalism in their relentless effort to link this event with India, the US and Israel was unbelievable.

Today every deobandi, salafi, ahl-e-hadis and ahl-e-tashee madrassa in Pakistan tells its pupils that Ahmedis are wajib-ul-qatal. Every imam of every mosque believes that Ahmedis are to be killed on sight. Our media refuses to call those killed 'jaan bahaq' i.e. lost their lives-the proper Urdu term but prefer to use halaak i.e. died and maaray gaye i.e. got killed for the victims of terrorism. And the biggest media group runs a television show where by the faithful are told to take matters into their own hands unhindered by any threats of suo moto notices.


So my point is, what is the fuss about? Is this not what we belief in? Did we finally realize that the mutant in the mirror is us?

The term crocodile tears is not befitting here because there are no tears, just a lot of noise about whether we should be using the words mosques and sect of Islam for the victims. A lot of complains but not a lot of condemnations, be it media, clerics, politicians or the educated workforce every eye is dry. Pakistan committed murder today!!

Death of Collective Wisdom

Ahmad Nadeem

“Is there a competition going on in Pakistan between institution to earn shame and notoriety for their nation?” my colleague asked me casually while we were having some drinks and watching a news television. “We are on that path for last 40years”, I answered stubbornly. Can there anything such shameful to force you behave that stubborn over your national pride? There is, hold your breath, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, the top body of media and custodian of ‘freedom of speech and civil liberties’, in a press release issued by its Secretary General, Mr Shamsul Islam Naz, has “officially’ appreciated the blocking of the Facebook Website.

This was followed by the Lahore High Court orders of a blanket ban on entire social media website depriving 2.5 million Pakistani’s an access to major internet services. Just because there was ‘one page’ out of millions, set by a silly American kid to make cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The same could have been blocked instead, but things work differently in Pakistan. A decision has to be popular rather than sane, the illiterate bearded men on streets with sticks and guns ought to be satisfied.

The ‘Superior Judiciary’ is custodian of freedom of speech, right of association and guarantees to protection of person, property and business of every citizen. It has the power to declare any act of executive as unconstitutional which is violative of the Articles 17, 18 and 19 of the constitution. These article provide the guarantee against any threat to freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of doing lawful business.

The court also is custodian of rights guaranteed in Article 24 of the Constitution in a strict commanding language squarely prohibits the depriving of any person of his property save, in accordance with law. It provides protection against any order passed against a citizen without providing him an opportunity to be heard. Since the order of blanket ban has been passed thousands of small scale enterprises using Facebook have gone out of business without having an opportunity to explain before court that a blanket ban is against the constitutional guarantees provided in above articles. Their only fault was that ‘someone else’ did some silly thing to hurt the sentiments of others and they got punished for that ‘silly kid’.

While PFUJ appreciates the punishments of 2.5 million for someone else fault, what will be its reaction if Hindu minority demands ban over ‘cow slaughter’, will they be treated in same manner as constitution guarantees ‘equal treatment before the law’. Certainly they, as subjects of state have a right to demand that their religious beliefs are not hurt. Can PFUJ condemn India when same happens over there in future? What happens when custodian of constitutional guarantees start acting according to popular demands ignoring the document which is basis of a nation state?

As individuals, we are prone to wrong decisions, as it is a human trait. There is nothing to be shameful, but then one must be ready to pay the price. Making a wrong decision does not justify sticking to the same. That is why nations build institutions, so that collective wisdom prevails and there is little or no chance of error or egoistic behavior.

The nations which have functional institution can still progress when they have government in wrong hands or even with a flawed system. A nation where institutions are absent or lose their direction, even being governed by Chairman Mao of China, Abraham Lincoln of USA or even by the great philosopher Carl Marx would not lead them to anywhere. The worst consequence is that entire nation pays the price of blunders of institution and only time can decide for how long such price is to be paid.

This is the case of Pakistan for last 40 years. Pakistan army led by General Zia ul Haq made the blunder of hanging ZA Bhutto and putting the nation on path of radicalization. In order to keep hold of power Zia destroyed every institution of state from where he felt threatened. Political institutions were maturing and divide was ideological in these times, even with difference of opinion the politicians were able to sit on one table. The 1973 constitution is proof of that maturity. He corrupted the political workers and destroyed the political parties by using brutal force and Arab perto-dollar and patronized sectarian and ethnic-ism.

Similarly he destroyed the institution of judiciary by inducting incompetent and corrupt judges from a particular religious sects and ethnicities. Resultantly, we got notorious Molvi Mushtaq Ahmad heading the judiciary where once legends like Justice Dorab Patel were seated. The institution of media which plays the role of eyes and ears of the society was the most vibrant and independent institution in Muslim world having people like Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Habib Jalib with unimpeachable integrity. It was filled by religious fanatics and corrupt cronies.

As a result of hypocritical use of Islam and radicalization for purpose of getting ‘cannon fodder’ for American cold war in Afghanistan, Zia destructed institutions which could support tolerance. We, as a nation are paying the price of his actions. The terrorism and extremism is not only costing in blood but also economy has gone to drain adding more poor, illiterate and jobless violent youth. Still we have not learned any lesson from mistakes of past and have miserably failed to re-build the broken institutions.

Just think of the PFUJ, the top body of journalists in 1970′s and its sacrifices for freedom of speech during censor of Zia’s dictatorship. Think of judiciary where people like Justice Dorab Patel were seated. And think of a society where every body participated in Shia processions and Sunni Millad’s without a fear of suicide attack. We are paying price of mistakes of past with blood, hunger, illiteracy and terrorism. The same army which made that blunder is paying for it, with their own blood while fighting the monster created by its greedy generals of past.

The mistakes of today are much more grave and fatal.

In a global village of this century the blunders of institutions being committed in a competition mode have far grave consequences. Ajmal Kasab or Faisal Shahzad does not represent Pakistan, our institutions does! World might forgive for the acts of these individuals but the damage caused by by institutions is irreparable and will cost heavily. Hats off, to Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists for acting on popular demands rather than rationality. You have done what Faisal Shahzad could not do – a suicide attack on freedom of speech and basic rights – of which your institution is a custodian.

Had the journalists body considered of those who lost their businesses without being heard, those who were denied the right of association and those who lost a medium of communication without any fault on their part – its decision would have been different. By appreciating the ban, the journalist body has not only validated the censorship but infringement of constitutional rights of citizens and the violation of grantee that no order shall be passed without providing citizens an opportunity to be heard. No wonder the headlines in international media these days carry the names of top Pakistani journalists for their links with terrorists and enticing killings.

Morn over the death of Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Dorab Patel and learn to live with the death of institutions and collective wisdom.

Jihadi public schools? —

by Ali K Chishti

The roots of problem lies in state policy of using violance as foreign policy tool, religious seminaries were corrupted by the bulks of petro dollar coming in the days of Soviet Afghan war as they are multiplied hundred times in Zia era. Their role in this regard is restrained to propagation of the state adopted policy through the mosques…apart from this this propagation is extended to the school and college youth by none other than the qutbian venom spitters IJT and JI through their dozens of magazines of vide variety for the school kids to the university students… The chain of schools established by them with different names and slogans have given them the opportunity to sing anthems like “bharat hei hamara hadaf” and “crush India and Crush America”. Indeed they have done all this in more sophisticated way. Why the hell state has allowed this maniacs to establish their own schools and colleges with Jihadi agenda and deviated interpretations….

Slogan of Crush America

One of the misconceptions about the jihad phenomenon is regarding the role played by the madrassa in propagating the jihadi culture inside Pakistan. While there is no doubt that madrassas sponsored by certain countries in the past have played an important role in inculcating hateful vehemence among their students, they were not alone in their endeavours. The public and private schools have been equally involved in the propagation of jihad as a concept. Shifting the blame onto the madrassas alone is politically convenient for the government, as madrassas also lend themselves to an intellectually easy analysis and explanation of the phenomenon. But this analysis ignores the social, economic and political dimensions of militant Islam and the role played by the state in promoting a militant culture and mindset in the country. Moreover, the use of jihad by the state for the achievement of foreign policy goals is also glossed over by giving undue attention to the proliferation of madrassas and focusing on them as nurseries of terror. It is a fact that for every militant thrown up by a madrassa, there are dozens who never got even close to religious education. Instead, they were just plain criminals before they chose to elevate themselves to the status of jihadis. Talking of a crackdown on madrassas may make eminent sense, but it offers very little in terms of actually getting to grips with the problem. In fact, unnecessary and often misplaced emphasis on religious education is nothing more than a clever ruse to deflect attention from the real issue: the general state of education in Pakistan.

There is no doubt about how a specific religious ideology is being propagated that explicitly promotes hatred, violence and prejudice towards various sects within Islam as well as non-Muslims and how the entire public and private school curricula are designed to promote, inculcate and incite the spirit of ‘jihad’ and hatred among children as young as five. In a recent report by the UN that helps us understand the jihadi indoctrination of three generations of Pakistani students, we are told how and why cosmetic measures like teaching liberal subjects and science in madrassas will hardly make any difference to the jihadi culture that has taken root in Pakistan.

The age-old analysis that madrassas alone breed the hate and irrationality that results in international jihad is itself a distorted worldview. The educational material in most secular and so-called ‘English-medium’ schools is, at times, equally hateful. Parts of their textbooks tell lies, craft hate, and incite readers for a new world order called pan-Islamism, hence ideologically confusing the students who already suffer from a serious identity crisis. Faisal Shahzad, the failed Times Square bomber, an upper middle-class English speaker, who never even attended a madrassa, was himself a product of these English medium schools in Pakistan.

Interestingly, the theme of hatred and militancy in the curriculum can be clearly distinguished between the pre- and post-1979 educational contexts. There was no mention of these in the pre-Islamisation period curricula, while the post-1979 curricula and textbooks openly eulogise war and militancy and urge students to become mujahideen and martyrs. But the target is not only India or Hindus. The curriculum targets all non-Muslims and countries and seeks to teach a particularly virulent version of radical and militant Islam to Pakistan’s children. The most significant problems with the current curriculum and textbooks are: i) insensitivity to the religious diversity of the nation; ii) incitement to militancy and violence; iii) perspectives that encourage prejudice, bigotry and discrimination towards fellow citizens, especially women and religious minorities and other nations; and iv) the glorification of war and the use of force.

All this hatred and indoctrination should also serve as a reality check for those who delude themselves into believing that, somehow, India and Pakistan can live together in peace. This is not possible until there is a complete overhaul of the educational curriculum in Pakistan and the process of reverse indoctrination is completed. Going by what is being done to the Pakistani children — not only in madrassas but also in schools runs by the Pakistani state — the entire educational curriculum needs to be seriously monitored and altered on a war-footing.

The writer is a political analyst who can be reached at akchishti@hotmail.com

The real Culprits

Yasser Latif Hamdani

As the second most populous Muslim nation state after Indonesia, our dilemma is no different from the confessional states of Europe that over time became the staunchest defenders of civil liberties and secularism

Rakesh Mani was kind enough to mention my article ‘Faisal Shahzad’s radicalisation’, (Daily Times, May 10, 2010) in his article ‘The University of God’ (Daily Times, May 20, 2010). While I agree with most of his observations about Islamic organisations on American university campuses, I must raise a note of dissent in so far as his treatment of Pakistan and Pakistanis is concerned.

First of all, Pakistan’s fixation with faith has nothing to do with the creation of Pakistan, which was in any event not on the basis of religious ideology. This is a moot point for most objective historians studying the creation of Pakistan. Indeed the champions of religious ideology were entirely opposed to the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah’s references to Islam — few and far between — were to reinforce the idea that a pluralistic constitutional democracy is indeed a cardinal principle of the dominant religio-cultural system to which his constituency belonged.

Mani makes an important point when he speaks of a Bengali being Bengali before he is a Muslim or a Hindu or a Punjabi being a Punjabi before he is a Muslim or a Hindu. I am sure he would be surprised — to say the least — that those were the exact words that the founding father of Pakistan used when explaining to Mountbatten why Bengal and Punjab ought to be kept united as late as mid-May in 1947. The League’s ‘Two Nation Theory’ was a counterpoise to Congress’s ‘One Nation Theory’ and not regional identities. The great irony of the partition of India is that it was the Congress that insisted on dividing Punjab and Bengal on religious lines and not the Muslim League. Indeed Mr. Jinnah endorsed Sarat Chandra Bose’s plan to keep Bengal united as late as June 3 but it was vetoed by Nehru. Unfortunately, this is one of those nuanced realities that nationalist mythologies on both sides cannot grasp or articulate.

This is not to say that through the Objectives Resolution and beyond we have not mixed the state and religion. The crowning glory of the Islamist project is the 1973 Constitution, which restricts freedom more than it protects it (precisely why actions like a blanket ban on Facebook is possible constitutionally in Pakistan). However, it is here that Mani errs again. The most fanatical Muslims are not almost exclusively Pakistani. Indeed Pakistan contributes — proportionally — a far fewer number of fundamentalists, extremists and terrorists than the Arab world for example. Roughly 16-20 percent of the terrorists in recent times planning an attack in western countries have been Pakistanis. Somalia — a much smaller country — contributes a higher number of extremists and terrorists.

On the other hand, it is no doubt a very interesting fact to put out that Indian Muslims, only a few million less than Pakistan’s total population, contribute even fewer terrorists in the West. Indian Muslims in the West come across as much more conservative and religious minded than the Pakistanis and yet hardly any terrorists have come from it. There are — in my opinion — two possible reasons for it. One, if the Muslim diaspora was ever studied, it would show that Pakistanis in the West outnumber Indian Muslims by 20 or 30 to 1. Secondly, Pakistan has inherited the legacy of the Afghan War, not India. This second point is at the heart of the issue.

The important thing that Mani should have noted is not how Pakistanis tend to be more fanatical, which is not true — after all Mani’s friend from Karachi who he mentions in his article as being a clubbing type party girl is also a Pakistani — but how every terrorist plot finds a connection to Pakistan’s northwest. The issue here is not that Pakistanis are terrorists, but Pakistan’s government has tolerated far too long militancy and terrorist organisations on its soil. And then there is a broader issue. A great majority of terrorists are not Pakistani. They are global jihadists informed and indoctrinated by the ideology of Ikhwanul Muslimeen and Hizbut Tahrir, two organisations whose roots are firmly outside of Pakistan. By focusing on Pakistan and forgetting that 15 out of the 19 hijackers on September 11 were Saudis and none of them were Pakistanis, by forgetting that the mastermind of 9/11 was an Egyptian working in an organisation led by the Egyptians and the Saudis, Mani is glossing over the real causes of Islamist terror worldwide. By singling out Pakistan and feeding a misperception about its history, the real cause, i.e. the last hurrah of revivalist Islamism, is obscured. It is the Qutbian-Maududian Islamist ideology that needs to be taken to task and the failure to recognise that will only lead to more heartbreak.

Pakistan as a constitutional democracy with a rising Muslim bourgeoisie is the greatest hope against this riding tide of Islamist revival. Democracy has always ensured that Islamists are kept out of the power equation. The great battle for the soul of Islam is being fought in our streets, our assembly halls and our courts. Pakistan is going through the pangs of rebirth and with it will come a reformation of the Islamic world itself. As the second most populous Muslim nation state after Indonesia, our dilemma is no different from the confessional states of Europe that over time became the staunchest defenders of civil liberties and secularism. Only in our case, the information age has accelerated the speed of this evolution. This also explains the knee-jerk reaction of the pillars of our state to Facebook, but that is a whole different issue.

Yasser Latif Hamdani is a lawyer based in Islamabad. He can be reached at yasser.hamdani@gmail.com

Zia's Children

By Ayesha Siddiqa

As the entire Pakistani nation watches video footage of a 17-years-old
girl screaming on their television screens during the process of her
torture at the hands of the brutal Taliban in Swat, one wonders if the
mothers, sisters, daughters and the male members of this nation will
ever take time out to think about this system of justice advocated by
these men who are not even qualified to interpret the Quran and Sunnah.

How did these men know that she had committed adultery? Or were
the men in Iran, who ran a jeep over both the arms of a young boy to
punish him for stealing sure about his economic circumstances?
Sadly, all this will be justified in certain quarters as upholding of
Sharia. But the legal system of any land is meant to do justice
which is not just the application of some legal norms, but the
application of law in conjunction with sensitivity towards the
economic, social and political conditions of a place.

The application of Sharia is extremely complex as it entails a
stringent mechanism for evidence. For instance, a witness has to
meet certain conditions. The witness has to be one: (a) who has
never been punished for any crime, (b) has always said all his
prayers in time, (c) never urinated standing up, (d) never eaten from
a market place, (e) never committed any major sin, (f) never
committed any minor sin, and
(g) never failed to carry out obligations prescribed by Quran and
Sunnah. These conditions are so stringent that according to Pakistan's
former Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah even he would not qualify
to be a witness.

Referring to the case of the girl flogged in Swat, the fact of the
matter is that this is one example of the dire conditions of women
in a large number of Muslim societies where there is no legal system
for this particular gender to prove their innocence. In Pakistan in
particular where the Hudood laws were formulated under the Zia
regime, the objective was not to bring justice in the society but to
throttle all forms of justice. In this respect, the Taliban in Swat and
those who ruled Afghanistan for some time are Zia'children. They
use force arbitrarily and apply laws without the real context to
enhance their own power.

For those, who think of General Ziaul Haq as an exemplary
marde momin, it would be beneficial to read Tahir Wasti's seminal
work --- Application of Islamic Criminal Law in Pakistan: Sharia
in Practice". The book published in January this year and authored
by a man, who has experience of both Islamic law and British common
law, is the first detailed research enlisting the ramifications of the
application of sharia law in Pakistan. The writer argues that Zia's
decision to impose Nizam-e-Islam on February 2 1979 was not a
sincere act. Wasti, in fact, argues that had the military dictator been
sincere he would have also invoked the law of Qisas and Diyat as
part of his Islamic regulations that mainly consisted of the five laws
pertaining to: drinking, Zina (adultery), Zakat and usher, highway
robbery, and theft. The punishment for some of these crimes is not
even prescribed in the Quran.

The reason that Zia left out Qisas and Diyat, which finally became an
ordinance in 1990 during Benazir Bhutto's government and finally
passed as a law after twenty minutes of debate in parliament
under Nawaz Sharif was because he was too eager to hang Bhutto.
Such a law would not have allowed for the approver Masood
Mehmood, which, in turn, means that Bhutto could not have
been sentenced to death.

Not surprisingly, Bhutto had filed a review petition number 5-R of
1979 on 13/02/1979 in the Supreme Court asking that his case be
tried under Sharia or Nizam-e-Islam through first invoking the law
on Qisas and Diyat. Notwithstanding the fact that while in power
Bhutto himself played to the gallery by using religion, in case of
his trial his plea to use the religious law was primarily as a legal
point that would technically stop the Zia government from sentencing
him to death. Interestingly, as Wasti points out in his book, Zia kept
returning the draft of this law until he had managed to put Bhutto
to death. The Supreme Court justices gave a split decision on the
Bhutto case arguing on page 29 of the decision of the said review
petition that under section 302 of the PPC read with section 109 of
the PPC, this was a case of unintentional murder in which there was
no room for the witness of an approver. The decision including the
said review petition by Bhutto is reported in PLD 1979 Supreme
Court 741 and the two volumes on "Bhutto's Trial Documents"
published by Justice Afzal Haider.

Zia's government also challenged other cases in which such a law
needed implementation. Unfortunately, the author states, it were
judges like Justices Tanzeel-ur-Rehman and Afzal Cheema who
helped Zia cheat the entire country by bringing about amendments
in the sharia law that suited the military dictator's interests and
allowed him not to pass the law on Qisas and Diyat as long as he was alive.

What is even sadder is that such discrepancy in Nizam-e-Islam
was never seriously challenged by any quarters. Even after the Qisas
and Diyat law came into force, first as an ordinance, and later, as
law, no one really pointed out the problem in invoking the said law.
As Wasti points out in his book, since it is difficult to find a witness,
the law of Qisas was never implemented and the government
basically uses tazeer or diyat to pass judgments. Diyat allows for
compromise in case of murder, a law which was framed not to bring
peace and justice in the society according to religious principles,
but to suit the interests of the more powerful. There are cases
after cases reported in Wasti's book in which poor and weak
people were forced to accept a compromise and forgive the
murderers of their loved ones. The law even encouraged
exchange of women as part of a settlement. Reportedly, since
the law came into force some judges showed their magnanimity
by ordering the payment of blood-money in addition to exchange
of women. Interestingly, the system was never fully challenged
by the legal community due to what senior lawyer and now
human rights activist Iqbal Haider termed, on the floor of
parliament in 1990, as greed of the legal community. This law
permits lawyers to claim their fee without putting in effort that
they would otherwise have to do to in defense of their clients.

The screams of the young Swati girl are the knock on the door of
the entire society to wake up and not allow these men and others
like them, who are at best Zia's children in terms of their sense
of legal fairness, to bring violence in this country in the name
of religion. This is not just about better treatment of women but
also a matter of justice for all and peace and tranquility in the
society. What is being presented as sharia is in reality a system
that protects the unquestioned power of those who have monopoly
over violence and resources in the society. A legal system is an
ever-evolving process that needn't mimic the past without taking
into account the circumstances. In the words of Maulana Amin
Ahsan Aslahi, religion of the past is history of the present which
can only be used as a good reference point and no more.



The writer is an Islamabad-based social scientist and author
of Military Inc. Email: ayesha.ibd@gmail.com

Anchors, spooks and jihadis

By Irfan Husain

Hamid Mir’s connections with Islamic militants are hardly a secret. –File Photo

When you make a name and a (very good) living from the spoken word, it’s hard to make the case that a recording of your voice is a forgery. This is the dilemma Hamid Mir, the popular anchor of the TV chat show Capital Talk, is facing today.

Having heard the leaked conversation between a person who sounds uncannily like the TV personality, and another who is apparently very close to the terrorists then holding Khalid Khwaja, I will take a lot of convincing that it is a fake. However, in this day of technological marvels, anything is possible. As this newspaper suggests in a recent editorial, it would be a simple task to check the tape for authenticity.

So where do we go from here?

Hamid Mir’s connections with Islamic militants are hardly a secret. Indeed, he first made a name for himself by interviewing Osama bin Laden, and writing a book on the Al Qaeda leader.

Clearly, it is a journalist’s job to develop contacts among all manner of people, including criminals. However, to talk to terrorists to get a story is one thing; to virtually tell them what to ask somebody they are holding is to transgress all limits of journalistic licence.

The fact that Mir is still at liberty, issuing legal notices and proclaiming his innocence to the world, is a comment on just how powerful the electronic media has grown. Predictably, he has called this entire episode a conspiracy to silence him and the media group he works for. According to him, it is the group’s opposition to this government and President Asif Zardari that has made it a target.

It is true that the newspapers and TV channel in this media stable have waged an unrelenting campaign against the PPP-led coalition. Other anchors have gone to the extent of forecasting when the government will fall. For me, even more odious than the political mudslinging is Mir’s allegedly taped fulminations against the Ahmadi sect. In this prejudice, he echoes his colleague Aamir Liaquat, the religious chat show host who has now moved to a rival TV channel.

Another refrain in the taped conversation is the allegation that Khalid Khwaja, the ex-ISI operative, is actually a CIA agent, and should therefore be further ‘questioned’ by his kidnappers. Confusingly, Osama Khalid, the murdered man’s son, has demanded action against Hamid Mir, branding him a ‘CIA agent’. It would appear that there is civil strife among agents of the American agency in Pakistan.

For such people to wield so much power over the airwaves should give us pause for thought. It is an open secret that many journalists in Pakistan are on the payroll of various intelligence outfits. This became most obvious during the acrimonious public debate over the Kerry-Lugar Act last year when all hell broke loose over our TV channels.

It was no secret that our army high command had been annoyed by the legislation’s bid to strengthen democratic institutions, and to prevent future coups. The quick activation of the media brigade in support of the military’s position exposed their ties and their loyalties. Nor is the army’s distaste for this government concealed; and its reflection in TV chat shows is hardly a coincidence.

There was a recently blogged article on this newspaper’s website that suggested a rivalry between agencies that spilled into the media, citing this as a cause for the leaked tape. This makes eminent sense, and again underlines the need for bringing these intelligence agencies under control. However, this will not happen by just issuing a notification placing the ISI under the interior ministry as Rehman Malik tried to do in the early days of this government.

The role our intelligence agencies — and especially the ISI — have played in Pakistan’s politics is a matter of public record. From rigged elections to the disappearance of scores of citizens, much has been laid at the doors of our spooks. Such is their reputation for unsavoury deeds that even when they have nothing to do with some incident, they are considered guilty. For precisely this reason, it is in their interest to be less secretive.

Their use of journalists as pawns in their murky games erodes the media’s credibility. On the other hand, public memory is notoriously short, especially when an anchor’s slanted views coincide with the audience’s.

Thus, when certain anchors support the Taliban or denounce the Ahmadis, they can always be sure that many viewers will applaud them. Clearly, it is for media groups to control what is being said on their channels: after all, there is a responsibility higher than the search for ratings and advertising revenues.

Unfortunately, as our TV channels have mushroomed, there has been little effort to regulate their content. I am not talking about political censorship here. But surely we must draw the line somewhere: TV anchors should not be allowed to justify terrorism in the name of religion. Many of us have fought hard over the years in the cause of a free media. What we did not fight for is the licence to brainwash the public for an evil cause.

While Khalid Khwaja had a murky past as a supporter of the very militants who killed him nobody deserves the end he met. If a healthy debate about the role and power of our media emerges from this sorry episode, his death will not have been entirely in vain.

irfanhusain@gmail.com

Jamaat-e-Islami’s rag “Daily Ummat” Asks Me To Leave Pakistan !

By Yasser Latif Hamdani

In his recent column (“Mera beta teri fauj ka sipahi hoga”) in the rag, Daily Ummat, Kashif Hafeez Siddiqui has asked all Pakistanis like the “Qadiani supporter” Yasser Latif Hamdani who speak of a secular Pakistan to move to India. Could things be more ironic?

I find it strange sometimes that Jamaat-e-Islami claims positions thinking that everyone reading their lies is going to buy their crooked distortions as facts. In a campaign not long ago against Aga Khanis, they claimed that Aga Khanis were Zionists and opposed to the ideology of Pakistan. Ofcourse such inconvenient facts as the first president of the Muslim League being Aga Khan are of no consequence.

In his aforementioned article Mr. Siddiqui declares – with what one can imagine is a very straight face- that Pakistan was made by his parents under the slogan Pakistan ka matlab kiya La illah ilallah. The controversy of the slogan Pakistan ka matlab kiya la illah ilallah ought to have been put to rest when Jinnah himself denounced this slogan as being nothing but the handiwork of a few people who wanted to “catch a few votes”.

Now as someone whose family was involved in the Pakistan Movement and whose great grandfather, Syed Aurangzeb Ali Shah Hamdani, was honored at the Muslim League centenary on March 23^rd, 2006 with a posthumous gold medal, awarded by the then Prime Minister of this republic to his grandson at the Aiwan-e-Tehreek-e-Karkunan-e-Pakistan on the Mall Lahore, by the Nazaria-e-Pakistan foundation for his contributions to the Pakistan Movement, I believe I can speak with much more authority about what Pakistan Movement was about than some third rate crook of the Jamaat-e-Islami- a party that not only VOCIFEROUSLY opposed the creation of Pakistan but then actively tried to create hurdles for Pakistan Government and its moves in Kashmir in 1948.

To me my great grandfather’s connection to the Pakistan Movement is irrelevant. Besides my view of partition is informed by the Ayesha Jalal school of thought. I do so now only because I have asked by a crook to leave my country because his “parents” allegedly made it. My great grandfather’s contribution, significant as it is, was essentially politics and not part of some grand millennial fantasy. And he did end up losing upto 1200 acres of prime agricultural land as a result – because League having endorsed Independence for British India as part of manifesto was an opposition party- but to my mind the creation of Pakistan was the result of the breakdown of negotiations between the League and the Congress. It might just have gone another way in 1946. Therefore despite having been honored by the state as a freedom fighter and a worker in the Pakistan movement, I view my great grandfather as a shrewd notable and a landowner who had the prescience to abandon the Unionist camp long before other landowners and feudals of the area did.

Those who have read my writings know that I admire Mahomed Ali Jinnah probably more than any other historical figure. For this I have sustained the most abuse not just from Indians but even other groups that dislike my admiration for Pakistan’s founding father. I usually refer to the Quaid-e-Azam as Mr. Jinnah because that is what he preferred to be called. Yet – get this – Mr. Siddiqui has taken issue with the fact that I don’t call Mr. Jinnah Quaid-e-Azam… this Mr. Siddiqui who follows crook Maulana Maududi who not only opposed the creation of Pakistan but whose abuse against Quaid-e-Azam Mahomed Ali Jinnah (here I said it again) is well documented.

Dear Mr. Kashif Hafeez Siddiqui of Jamaat-e-Islami – terrorist sympathizer and supporter of the Taliban - before you ask bona fide citizens of Pakistan who are here by choice and free will (unlike you who would run to America the first chance he gets if America ever opens its doors to crooks, cranks and mad men like you) to leave Pakistan because they state such honest and inconvenient truths as the fact that Jinnah’s Pakistan and Maulana Maududi’s Pakistan are mutually exclusive, answer this :

1. Why did Maulana Maududi call Pakistan Movement and idea of Muslim Nationalism akin to an oxymoron as the “chaste prostitute”?

2. Why did Maulana Maududi constantly and repeatedly abuse Quaid-e-Azam and declare that Pakistan would be based on kufr?

3. Why did Maulana Maududi oppose the Kashmir War in 1948?

4. Why did Maulana Maududi hobnob with the establishment to bring down the government of Khawaja Nazimuddin?

5. Why did Maulana Maududi prostitute himself to America when America published and printed his “Islam aur ishtrakiat” to be distributed in the Islamic World?

6. Why did Maulana Maududi aid and abet the military regime of General Yahya Khan ?

7. Why did Maulana Maududi create Al Badr and other Islamist organizations to kill off Pakistanis in East Pakistan?

8. Why did Mian Tufail Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami accept funds from CIA to participate in CIA’s operation wheel jam in 1977?

9. Why did Jamaat-e-Islami support and form part of General Zia ul Haq’s government?

10. Why did Jamaat-e-Islami aid and abet Americans in the Afghan War?

11. Why did Jamaat-e-Islami help General Musharraf pass the damned 17^th Amendment?

Mr. Siddiqui, unlike you I won’t ask you to leave Pakistan despite the fact that you are a confirmed traitor and a fifth columnist. After all you yourself claimed that “your son shall be part of my army”. What I will do is to continue to fight against is the curse of Maududi and his remnants in Pakistan for as they say in Seraiki “Khooo ichu kuta na kidhasoon, tey wuzzu kithoo karaisoo” translation: If I won’t take the dog out of the well, how would I perform my ablution?

Facebook saga: Dilemma of Urban Middle Class

On Wednesday 19th May 2010, the Lahore High Court, famous for acting as a “moral brigade” rather than judiciary, once again passed a strange order to ban Facebook across Pakistan on a petition of Muslim Lawyers Forum. The demand for blocking of the social media site came after it refused to remove certain pages displaying Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons.

This order was passed against the request of the government and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority that controversial pages of Facebook were already being blocked and there was no reason to block entire social media website which has over 2 million Pakistani users.

Few months back Lahore High Court took suo-moto notice of album of a popular female singer and declared her songs to be ‘vulgar’. This was followed by Chief Justice Lahore High Court’s remarks that Hindus were financing the terrorism in Pakistan which attracted protests from Hindu minority of Pakistan. This mixing of religion in to matters of state is opposite to the judgment of the Bangladesh’s Supreme Court which imposed ban on religious parties to take part in politics.

The court order to ban entire social media site is not only unreasonable but amounts to restrict the freedom of expression of which judiciary is a guardian. It also reflects the mindset and strong inclination of present superior judiciary towards right wing religious fundamentalist groups which can easily get ‘desired justice’.

JI, a religious fanatic group which is strong supporter of present judiciary and was successful to get its members recruited in superior judiciary after restoration of Chief Justice is organizing the protests to ban all ‘Western Infidel’ websites including Facebook,Google, YouTube and Twitter etc. The wish for a ‘stone age’ as termed by Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, a youth leader. The Islamic Lawyer forum which filed the petition to block Facebook itself is a lawyers wing of JI fanatics.

The most interesting fall out of the court order is the strong reaction of Pakistani urban middle class youth, which widely uses Facebook for social interaction. The same youth was the most active supporter of movement for restoration of present judiciary. They are demanding from the government to immediately lift the blockage of Facebook website.

One of the protesters and an active blogger/civil society activist Dr. Awab Alvi writes ; “As members of civil society and professionals who depend on social media networks for our daily communications, we demand the immediate restoration of Facebook and an end to Internet censorship by the Government of Pakistan”.

But if government does lifts the ban on this demands, it will be disobeying the court orders.

Should not it be a protest against judiciary instead which has allied itself with religious fanatics and is acting as ‘Moral Brigade’ rather than an institution to dispense justice?

Historically religious groups in Pakistan have been providing support to military dictators and been associated with intelligence agencies to bring down the elected governments. After removal of Pervez Musharaf, the military establishment decided not to interfere directly in political issues. Certain sections of establishment and religious groups which are eager to remove present regime have associated themselves with judiciary.

Many critics blame that Lawyers movement which was initiated by lawyers and civil society was later hijacked by PMLN, PTI and JI and judiciary is under strong influence of right wing fundamentalist groups. The recent recruitments in superior judiciary are also being criticized as being from a certain ‘mind set’ and comprise of judges from certain political and religious parties.

As the conflict between PPP government and Judiciary is becoming intense, the judiciary is gathering the support of religious groups. Recently Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the former head of JI announced to get SC judgments implemented through ‘street power’. Yeah, now judiciary needs religious goons to get its orders implemented – though no suo-moto by good Chief Justice asking Mr. Qazi that who appointed him the ‘bailiff’ of SC!

In order to retain the support of religious fundamentalist groups, judiciary would have to deliver more judgments like ban on Facebook as per fanatics demands. This seems to be just the beaning as the demands of religious fanatics would not anything less than turning Pakistani society in to Taliban style Emirates.

As Supreme Court declared in its recent judgment to be custodian of imaginary ‘basic features’ of constitution of Pakistan and judging the righteousness of elected representatives, closer cooperation between fundamentalist and judiciary is inevitable. The top leaders of lawyer’s movement like Ali Ahmad Kurd are openly confessing that this is not the judiciary for what we struggled.

But where do the Urban middle class youth, which worked tirelessly for restoration of judiciary fits in this whole set up? Would they be able to digest the fanatic’s demands? They do not want to loose the freedom of expression and reject the ban on Facebook. They do not want court of Qazi to ban their favorite singer but they are demanding from government to lift the blockage of social media site.

Protesting against government while the ban is ordered by a ‘holly lordship’ of Lahore High Court is sign of their confusion.

In fact they are still unable to accept the fact that Lawyers movement was hijacked by right wing fundamentalist groups and present judiciary is composed of and an ally of religious fanatics. The fact they should have been realized when Supreme Court slept over the so called ‘Missing Persons’ issue, 12th May probe and countless other slogans raised during lawyers movements.

The only hope which still keeps them away from straight away protesting against ‘moral policing’ of judiciary and its partial judgments and instead make the government a scapegoat is that one day judiciary will boot “evil” Zardari out from his office. But what they are unable to understand is that it wont be possible unless a strong alliance of religious fanatics is there to support judiciary. As has been a custom when we underwent the military dictatorship – judicial dictatorship wont work differently.

What will be the cost of that alliance doesn’t need Einstein to figure out – and that is civil society itself. More influence of religious fanatics will hurt these urban middle class youth, who are not willing to compromise on their liberties but confused and unable to face the reality.

Can the civil society and urban middle class youth be part of the Mullah-Judiciary alliance against PPP government? They must ask themselves. It is up to them to decide whether they want an other repeat of notorious Ziaist era when general associated religious fanatics in power game. The Mullah-Judiciary alliance is going to be much more disastrous for civil society than what we have experienced in past.

Hamid Mir/Jang Groups's Somersaults on Freedom of Expression.

Former president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas said that on the whole media’s role in the entire episode left a lot to be desired. “We go by the official version and don’t even use words like ‘alleged’. We (the media) must be very careful when an allegation is being levelled against someone,” said Mr Abbas. He said that the electronic media totally ignored these guidelines and did not even express regret if someone had been cleared by court or law-enforcers through an inquiry. “Throughout his ordeal, Faiz remained quite confident but we were devastated. We spent sleepless nights since Sunday when it all began,” his family members said. ‘Therapy shoes’ passenger mulls action against ASF By S. Raza Hassan Saturday, 15 May, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/therapy-shoes-passenger-mulls-action-against-asf-550

ISLAMABAD: Some elements in the federal government have hatched a grand conspiracy to malign and blackmail the Pakistani media and top of the list is the Jang Group of Newspapers and Geo TV. This grand conspiracy was noticed last Friday when a federal minister made allegations in the National Assembly and said that they have not paid huge amounts of sales tax. Most of the figures presented in the National Assembly were not correct. The same afternoon, a top government minister told this scribe that “enough is enough” and now they can teach a lesson to Jang Group any time. He claimed that it was only President Asif Ali Zardari who never allowed any “action” against you people otherwise the action would have started long ago. The minister was angry with Ansar Abbasi and Dr Shahid Masood. He claimed that the government had collected a lot of material against these two. Another minister told this scribe the same evening that President Zardari had given a green signal to launch a campaign against some journalists of the Jang Group, including Shaheen Sehbai, Ansar Abbasi, Dr Shahid Masood, Kamran Khan, Hamid Mir and some others. He said that Dr Shahid might be implicated in some forgery case. Another minister revealed that some people within the establishment suggested to the government to use the family of late Khalid Khawaja against Hamid Mir on the basis of a tape. A top official of the interior ministry rejected this idea and said that these types of concocted tapes cannot be proven in a court of law but the same night some pro-PPP websites launched a campaign against me. The next day, a section of the media belonging to a close friend of President Zardari published a one-sided story with baseless allegations. A newspaper and a TV channel tried to involve me in the murder of Khalid Khwaja. I will take legal action against all those who started this campaign but one thing must be clear. It is a conspiracy not only against me. The ultimate goal is to silence the voice of Pakistani media on certain issues. Was it a coincidence that PPP Secretary Information Fauzia Wahab addressed a press conference on Saturday against Ansar Abbasi and the next day a full-fledged campaign was launched against me in a section of the media belonging to Governor Punjab? REFERENCE: Grand plot against media Monday, May 17, 2010By Hamid Mir http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=239716 Monday, May 17, 2010, Jamadi-ul-Sani 02, 1431 A.H http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/may2010-daily/17-05-2010/col6.htm



Monday, May 17, 2010, Jamadi-ul-Sani 02, 1431 A.H
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/may2010-daily/17-05-2010/mulkbharse.htm


AND AFTER ALL THESE SPEECHES READ THIS BY THE SAME HAMID MIR:

He had been trying to establish direct contacts between the USA and the Taliban for the last five years. He also tried to mediate between the Pakistan Army and the Taliban many times in the last two years but all his efforts failed due to lack of trust between him and the current military leadership of Pakistan. His known contacts with some former CIA officials and an American businessman Mansoor Ijaz also created problems for him. He was intelligent enough in maintaining links with Americans and their critics like Hameed Gul at the same time but unfortunately he could not anticipate the seriousness of his adversaries, who did not miss any opportunity to strike against friends and foes alike. The militants confronted him as to why on the one hand he was opposing the drone attacks but on the other hand he was trying to establish contacts between the USA and the Taliban. The militants claimed that he arranged a meeting between US Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes and a religious cleric Javed Ibrahim Paracha in 2005 in Serena Hotel, Islamabad. They also produced some articles downloaded from the Internet and asked about his links with former CIA officials, James Woolsey and William Casey. Khwaja had met these former CIA officials through an American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who was very close to the Bill Clinton administration. Ijaz played a key role in forcing the Sudanese government to expel Osama bin Ladin from Khartoum in 1996 and helped Khwaja to establish direct links between the Taliban and the Bush administration in October 1999 when he wanted Mulla Omar to meet James Woolsey to avert an American attack on Afghanistan. Mulla Omar refused to meet the then CIA leader. REFERENCE: What was the last mission of Khalid Khwaja? http://thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=28590 http://ejang.jang.com.pk/5-2-2010/images/4045.gif


People have short memory! Because this very Hamid Mir right after 911 had filed this "CANARD"


Military Dictators particularly in Pakistan always survive through exploiting imaginary and concocted fears. General Zia ul Haq had survived by exploiting the fear “Islam is in Danger” and Maudoodi’s Jamat-e-Islami and other Deobandi-Wahabi-Barelvi Mullahs helped General Zia in his every dirty effort to exploit Islam for the sake of perpetuating his Ruthless Rule to achieve a bigger goal for the Americans that was routing Communist USSR in Afghanistan once and for all. The day the Communists left Afghanistan General Zia and lackeys in Religious Mafia of Afghanistan and Pakistan lost all viability in the eyes of US Military Industrial Complex and came ‘Divine Intervention’ of 17 August 1988. Now almost after 16 years the Pakistan is again under the Military Dictatorship courtesy USA and again imaginary Fear and Terror threat from so-called Al-Qaeda. Musharraf had said somewhere between 12 October 1999 to 2005 that Pakistan was about to be declared ‘Terrorist Rogue State’ and allegations were all over the place that Pakistan is not a responsible state and believed to be involved in Nuclear Proliferation to other Rogue States around the world. Whereas such rogue States like Iraq and Iran amongst those nations who received Weapons from USA in their time of ‘distress’ Iraq {during Iran-Iraq War from USA, Europe and Saudi Arabia} and Iran {during the same war from USA remember Iran-Contra Affair}.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed [Former Federal Information Minister and Ex Federal Minister for Railway under General Musharraf's Martial Law Regime]

In 2005 the then Pakistan's Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid had said in an interview that;

"Pakistan: Khan Gave Nuke Material to Iran Thursday, March 10, 2005

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149995,00.html

"Dr. Abdul Qadeer gave some centrifuges to Iran," the minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He helped Iran in his personal capacity, and the Pakistan government had nothing to do with it."

In a seminar arranged by Mir Khalil ur Rehman, the federal Information Minister Sh. Rasheed said:

Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed says that Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, disgraced scientist dubbed the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, provided Iran with centrifuges that can be used to purify uranium for nuclear weapons.

In the same seminar the Minister said Qadeer did this without the involvement of Pakistani govt, means govt. is not involved but Qadeer did on his own. Isn't it strange after all Nations top scientist is always under tight security. Who is Rasheed trying to fool or save? Is this technology like a peanut, which you can sell anywhere you want. If the govt. doesnot know about this then these Security Agencies in Pakistan must be taken to task for the security lapse. These Security Agencies never fail to break any elected popular government through cloak and dagger, yes they never failed in doing so since the 'death' of General Ziaul Haq through a divine intervention. Since 1990 till 12 Oct 1999, these very Security Agencies conspired against every Civilian Government of Pakistan elected by the people but it is amazing the real job which they were responsible for was not done et all. I am not buying the Ranting of Sheikh Rasheed.

A very senior journalist from Karachi, Late. Mr. Shabbir Durrani , had once said to me; “do whatever you want but don’t ever try to work with Jang Groups of Newspapers, Pakistan {Owners of GEO TV and The News International}”, he had further advised that it would be much better for you to do labour at dockyards as Jang Groups and their Executives are worse than [no offence to Jews and Hindus] Shylocks {more crudely Baniya (Hindu) Money Lenders}. That was his statement about Daily Jang and their owners, the sad thing is that Daily Dawn {sometimes} and its management is not far behind in this dirty game. Daily Dawn Pakistan which otherwise is least sensational and scandalous but sometime plays to the tunes of Vested Interests even without checking the credentials of the Journalists filing the story. In November 2001 a reporter cum analyst cum biographer i.e. Mr Hamid Mir {Now in GEO TV of Jang Group of Newspapers Pakistan} filed a story in Daily Dawn that “Osama Bin Laden said he had nuclear and chemical weapons and was ready to use them” [For complete story click the links below]. The most pathetic thing is that nowadays nobody questions the story, you can file anything you like anywhere.

People have short memory because after 4 years in the same Daily Dawn one of the most serious and senior journalist and that too amongst the senior editors Ms. Zubeida Mustafa opined in her columns that “Stephen Hess and Marvin Kalb write in their book The Media and the War on Terrorism about the "CNN effect" (a term now applied for all television channels), "In 1992, President George H.W. Bush saw television images of starving children in Somalia and he felt obliged to send US troops there to distribute food."

They add, "Less than a year, later President Bill Clinton saw television images of Somali fighters dragging the desecrated body of an American soldier through the streets of Mogadishu and he felt obliged to withdraw the troops." She further wrotes, “With more serious implications has been the media's propensity to project an image which may actually misrepresent the truth. The images could be positive or negative, but not accurate.” Since there is no professional check - an editor for websites, a code of ethics for television and radio - just about anyone can acquire a medium and put anything up there. All the information so released becomes an article of faith because it has been well presented and is believed by the gullible reader/viewer/listener.” I wonder was there any professional check on Mr. Hamid Mir (now in GEO TV) when he filed that story in one of the most ‘prestigious’ newspaper of the country and shamelessly the editorial executives are now advising all and sundry to check and cross check before filing any story. Did they ask from that reporter that Atomic/Nuclear devices are not that kind of devices, which can be carried away easily like .22 caliber pistol? Yet they published Hamid Mir’s story as headline in Daily Dawn as a gospel truth.

It’s a separate debate whether Al-Qaeda/Taliban was involved in 9/11 or not but still after thoroughly bombed and destroyed Afghanistan, the most high tech US Intelligence apparatus couldn’t ‘succeed’ in nabbing the Bearded Bandits i.e. Osama, Zawahiri and Omar {seems to be the disciples of Hassan Bin Sabbah of Nazari Community of Qila Al Amut, Khorasan} but isn’t it strange that these wanted persons are being sought after by CIA, NSA, DIA, FBI etc.etc. but a petty reporter of Pakistan not only knows where he was right after 9/11 and that was not the end, the reporter also declared himself as an un-official biographer of Osama Bin Laden.

Mr Hamid Mir, Geo TV Host/The News International Correspondent

Osama claims he has nukes: If US uses N-arms it will get same response By Hamid Mir

November 10, 2001 Saturday Shaba’an 23, 1422

http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/10/top1.htm

KABUL, Nov 9: Osama bin Laden has said that “we have chemical and nuclear weapons as a deterrent and if America used them against us we reserve the right to use them”.

He said this in a special interview with Hamid Mir, the editor of Ausaf, for Dawn and Ausaf, at an undisclosed location near Kabul.

This was the first interview given by Osama to any journalist after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

The correspondent was taken blindfolded in a jeep from Kabul on the night of Nov 7 to a place where it was extremely cold and one could hear the sound of anti-aircraft guns firing away. After a wait of some time , Osama arrived with about a dozen bodyguards and Dr Ayman Al-Zuwahiri and answered questions.

Hamid Mir: After American bombing on Afghanistan on Oct 7, you told the Al-Jazeera TV that the Sept 11 attacks had been carried out by some Muslims. How did you know they were Muslims ?

Osama bin Laden: The Americans themselves released a list of the suspects of the Sept 11 attacks, saying that the persons named were involved in the attacks. They were all Muslims, of whom 15 belonged to Saudi Arabia, two were from the UAE and one from Egypt. According to the information I have, they were all passengers.Fateha was held for them in their homes. But America said they were hijackers.

HM: In your statement of Oct 7, you expressed satisfaction over the Sept 11 attacks, although a large number of innocent people perished in them, hundreds among them were Muslims. Can you justify the killing of innocent men in the light of Islamic teachings ?

OBL: This is a major point in jurisprudence. In my view, if an enemy occupies a Muslim territory and uses common people as human shield, then it is permitted to attack that enemy. For instance, if bandits barge into a home and hold a child hostage, then the child’s father can attack the bandits and in that attack even the child may get hurt.

America and its allies are massacring us in Palestine, Chechenya, Kashmir and Iraq. The Muslims have the right to attack America in reprisal. The Islamic Shariat says Muslims should not live in the land of the infidel for long. The Sept 11 attacks were not targeted at women and children. The real targets were America’s icons of military and economic power.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was against killing women and children. When he saw a dead woman during a war, he asked why was she killed ? If a child is above 13 and wields a weapon against Muslims, then it is permitted to kill him.

The American people should remember that they pay taxes to their government, they elect their president, their government manufactures arms and gives them to Israel and Israel uses them to massacre Palestinians. The American Congress endorses all government measures and this proves that the entire America is responsible for the atrocities perpetrated against Muslims. The entire America, because they elect the Congress.

I ask the American people to force their government to give up anti-Muslim policies. The American people had risen against their government’s war in Vietnam. They must do the same today. The American people should stop the massacre of Muslims by their government.

HM: Can it be said that you are against the American government, not the American people ?

OSB: Yes! We are carrying on the mission of our Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). The mission is to spread the word of God, not to indulge massacring people. We ourselves are the target of killings, destruction and atrocities. We are only defending ourselves. This is defensive Jihad. We want to defend our people and our land. That is why I say that if we don’t get security, the Americans, too would not get security.

This is a simple formula that even an American child can understand. This is the formula of live and let live.

HM: The head of Egypt’s Jamia Al-Azhar has issued a fatwa (edict) against you, saying that the views and beliefs of Osama bin Laden have nothing to do with Islam. What do you have to say about that ?

OSB: The fatwa of any official Aalim has no value for me. History is full of such Ulema who justify Riba, who justify the occupation of Palestine by the Jews, who justify the presence of American troops around Harmain Sharifain. These people support the infidels for their personal gain.The true Ulema support the Jihad against America. Tell me if Indian forces invaded Pakistan what would you do? The Israeli forces occupy our land and the American troops are on our territory. We have no other option but to launch Jihad.

HM: Some Western media claim that you are trying to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons. How much truth is there in such reports?

OSB: I heard the speech of American President Bush yesterday (Oct 7). He was scaring the European countries that Osama wanted to attack with weapons of mass destruction. I wish to declare that if America used chemical or nuclear weapons against us, then we may retort with chemical and nuclear weapons. We have the weapons as deterrent.

HM: Where did you get these weapons from ?

OSB: Go to the next question.

HM: Demonstrations are being held in many European countries against American attacks on Afghanistan. Thousands of the protesters were non-Muslims. What is your opinion about those non-Muslim protesters ?

OSB: There are many innocent and good-hearted people in the West. American media instigates them against Muslims. However, some good-hearted people are protesting against American attacks because human nature abhors injustice.

The Muslims were massacred under the UN patronage in Bosnia. I am ware that some officers of the State Department had resigned in protest. Many years ago the US ambassador in Egypt had resigned in protest against the policies of President Jimmy Carter. Nice and civilized are everywhere. The Jewish lobby has taken America and the West hostage.

HM: Some people say that war is no solution to any issue. Do you think that some political formula could be found to stop the present war ?

OSB: You should put this question to those who have started this war. We are only defending ourselves.

HM: If America got out of Saudi Arabia and the Al-Aqsa mosque was liberated, would you then present yourself for trial in some Muslim country ?

OSB: Only Afghanistan is an Islamic country. Pakistan follows the English law. I don’t consider Saudi Arabia an Islamic country. If the Americans have charges against me, we too have a charge sheet against them.

HM: Pakistan government decided to cooperate with America after Sept 11, which you don’t consider right. What do you think Pakistan should have done but to cooperate with America ?

OSB: The government of Pakistan should have the wishes of the people in view. It should not have surrendered to the unjustified demands of America. America does not have solid proof against us. It just has some surmises. It is unjust to start bombing on the basis of those surmises.

HM: Had America decided to attack Pakistan with the help of India and Israel, what would have we done ?

OSB: What has America achieved by attacking Afghanistan ? We will not leave the Pakistani people and the Pakistani territory at anybody’s mercy.

We will defend Pakistan. But we have been disappointed by Gen Pervez Musharraf. He says that the majority is with him. I say the majority is against him.

Bush has used the word crusade. This is a crusade declared by Bush. It is no wisdom to barter off blood of Afghan brethren to improve Pakistan’s economy. He will be punished by the Pakistani people and Allah.

Right now a great war of Islamic history is being fought in Afghanistan. All the big powers are united against Muslims. It is ‘ sawab ‘ to participate in this war.

HM: A French newspaper has claimed that you had kidney problem and had secretly gone to Dubai for treatment last year. Is that correct ?

OSB: My kidneys are all right. I did not go to Dubai last year. One British newspaper has published an imaginary interview with Islamabad dateline with one of my sons who lives in Saudi Arabia. All this is false.

HM: Is it correct that a daughter of Mulla Omar is your wife or your daughter is Mulla Omar’s wife ?

OSB: (Laughs). All my wives are Arabs ( and all my daughters are married to Arab Mujahideen). I have spiritual relationship with Mulla Omar. He is a great and brave Muslim of this age. He does not fear anyone but Allah. He is not under any personal relationship or obligation to me. He is only discharging his religious duty. I, too, have not chosen this life out of any personal consideration.

Notes:

The flip side of information By Zubeida Mustafa

http://www.dawn.com/2005/03/16/op.htm#2

As per one of my friend who is in GEO TV. During Judicial Crisis [Musharraf Days] it was Hamid Mir who got out of the office and slapped one policeman in Islamabad to instigate Policemen to enter GEO office to create a scene. These anchors often create a situation where they made their guests to say what they themselves [anchors] want to say. Why we forget that Nazir Naji and Ahmed Noorani Tapes were also made available on internet. Who tapped the conversation???? Hamid Mir and many other leading anchors in several Pakistani Private TV Channels [who are also leading correspondents in Newspapers] are ASSETS and when assets don’t follow the line then such leaks are also used. Hamid Mir is a known time server. Many of us have now forgotten that it was Hamid Mir who filed a lead story [and story was false] in Daily Dawn [Hamid Mir wasn't even a Contract Employee of Dawn] after 911 that ” OBL has more than 30 Nukes [as if Nukes are .22 Caliber Pistols and can easily be carried around when half of the leading Military around the world were looking after for OBL. Above all Hamid is an expert in quick somersaults: Read the contents of this story when Hamid Mir and Col Imam were exchanging allegation

Don't be deceived by these sycophants, time servers and worse creatures on earth like Hamid Mir and his likes they are worse than snakes. On one hand he says that the Pro PPP websites/bloggers http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-and-let-us-build-pakistan.html is creating differences between Geo/Jang Group Journalists and Pakistan army. Whereas Hamid Mir himself has damaged the reputation of Pakistan Army [read the articles below].

Not only the reputation of Army but Mian Nawaz Sharif and PML-N [One source claimed that it was Ejaz Shah who was the head of anti-narcotics force in 1998, when the-then Nawaz Sharif regime tried to involve Asif Ali Zardari in a narcotics case through him. But he refused and later the Nawaz regime booked Zardari in the same fake case through the Punjab police - Why Benazir points finger at IB chief By Hamid Mir Saturday, October 20, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=10696 as well by filing stories without any credible facts [and if with facts then those too based on Biased Corruption Cases registered by Former Senator of PML - Saif ur Rehman (nowadays a proclaimed offender) and allegedly Mr. Ansar Abbasi is also doing the same. NAB Documents, Accountability, Ansar Abbasi & Musharraf's Treason Trial. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/11/nab-documents-accountability-ansar.html

In his popular talk show 'Capital Talk' (Geo TV) on the night of 5 November 2009, Hamid Mir dedicated almost entire program to criticize the 'Let us build Pakistan' blog as well as the group 'Critical Supporters of Pakistan People's Party' (CSPP). Hamid Mir and his guest Ansar Abbasi alleged that the 'Let us build Pakistan' was being run from the President House, and that an ambassador was the overall in charge of this blog. The 'Capital Talk' and the 'Let us build Pakistan' debate http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-and-let-us-build-pakistan.html.

Mir also alleged that the CSPP and the Let us build Pakistan were trying to create differences between Pakistan Army and media. Read Hamid Mir's Article after the video which are very damaging for Pakistan Army. Not only him but Kamran Khan has well has done this. So much so that a Retired Colonel of Pakistan Army has declared [without naming anyone] that such journalists are Fifth Columnists. One such example is: Shaheen Sehabi, Jang Group & Definition of National Interest. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/10/shaheen-sehabi-jang-group-definition-of.html

VIDEOS OF THE PROGRAM:









COURTESY: http://www.youtube.com/user/politicssss
COURTESY: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrNeopk



Who is Ilyas Kashmiri? Friday, October 02, 2009
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=201054

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This is with reference to Hamid Mir's report (Sept 20) titled "How an ex-commando became a terrorist". It is total disinformation -- Ilyas Kashmiri neither had any association with the SSG nor did he serve in the army as a soldier. Being an ex-commando officer, I know that the SSG never indulges in such heinous crimes. It's a superior professional force of the army composed of responsible officers and men who carry out professional tasks. I would like to add that there is always an attempt by hostile agencies to defame the security forces of Pakistan with a malicious intent. Therefore, newspapers and columnists must refrain from falling prey to these fifth columnists.

Colnel (r) Imam

Ex-SSG officer,

Rawalpindi

How an ex-Army commando became a terrorist By Hamid Mir Sunday, September 20, 2009
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=24626

ISLAMABAD: Once he was a blue-eyed boy of President General Pervez Musharraf. He got a cash award from the president for slitting the throat of an Indian Army officer in the year 2000 but after 9/11, he became a suspected terrorist.

This terrorist was Ilyas Kashmiri, reportedly killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan last week. US officials claimed that Ilyas Kashmiri was a senior al-Qaeda commander and his death was a huge loss for the militants fighting against the foreign forces in Afghanistan. Very few people know that Ilyas Kashmiri was a former SSG commando of Pakistan Army. He was originally from Kotli area of Azad Kashmir. He was deputed by Pakistan Army to train the Afghan Mujahideen fighting against the Russian Army in mid-80s. He was an expert of mines supplied to Afghan Mujahideen by the US. He lost one eye during the Jihad against Russian invaders and later on he joined Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami of Maulvi Nabi Muhammadi.

Ilyas Kashmiri was based in Miramshah area of North Waziristan where he was working as an instructor at a training camp. After the withdrawal of Russian Army from Afghanistan, Ilyas Kashmiri was asked by Pakistani establishment to work with Kashmiri militants. He joined the Kashmir chapter of Harkatul Jihad-i-Islami in 1991. After a few years, he developed some differences with the head of HuJI Qari Saifullah Akhtar. Ilyas Kashmiri created his own 313 Brigade in HuJI. He was once arrested by Indian Army from Poonch area of Indian held Kashmir along with Nasrullah Mansoor Langrial. He was imprisoned in different Indian jails for two years and finally he escaped from there after breaking the jail. His old friend Langrial is still imprisoned in India. Ilyas Kashmiri became a legend after escaping from the Indian jail. It was 1998 when the Indian Army started incursions along the Line of Control and killed Pakistani civilians many times by crossing the border. Ilyas Kashmiri was given the task to attack the Indians from their back. He did it many times. Indian Army killed 14 civilians on February 25, 2000 in Lonjot village of Nakial in Azad Kashmir. Indian commandos crossed the LoC, spent the whole night in a Pakistani village and left early morning. They slit the throats of three girls and took away their heads with them. They also kidnapped two local girls. The next morning, the heads of the kidnapped girls were thrown towards Pakistani soldiers by the Indian Army.

The very next day of this massacre, Ilyas Kashmiri conducted a guerilla operation against the Indian Army in Nakyal sector on the morning of February 26, 2000. He crossed the LoC with 25 fighters of the 313 Brigade. He surrounded a bunker of Indian Army and threw grenades inside. After one of his fighters Qudratullah lost his life, he was able to kidnap an injured officer of the Indian Army. That was not the end. He slit the throat of the kidnapped officer. He came back to Pakistan with the head of the dead Indian Army officer in his bag and presented this head to top Army officials and later on to the then Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf, who gave him a cash award of rupees one lakh.

The pictures of Ilyas Kashmiri with the head of a dead Indian Army officer in his hands were published in some Pakistani newspapers and he became very important among the Kashmiri militants. Maulana Zahoor Ahmad Alvi of Jamia Muhammadia, Islamabad, issued a fatwa in support of slitting the throats of Indian Army officers. Those were the days when Corps Commander, Rawalpindi, Lt Gen Mehmood Ahmad, visited the training camp of Ilyas Kashmiri in Kotli and appreciated his frequent guerilla actions against the Indian Army. His honeymoon with the Pakistan Army generals was over after the creation of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Gen Mehmood wanted Ilyas Kashmiri to join JeM and accept Maulana Masood Azhar as his leader but the one eyed militant refused to do so. The militants of JeM once attacked the training camp of Ilyas Kashmiri in Kotli but he survived that attack. His outfit was banned by Musharraf after 9/11. He was arrested after an attack on the life of Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. He was tortured during the interrogation.

The United Jihad Council led by Syed Salahuddin strongly protested the arrest of Ilyas Kashmiri and on the pressure of Kashmiri militants, Ilyas Kashmiri was released in February 2004. He was a shattered man after his release. He disassociated himself from the Kashmiri militants and remained silent for at least three years. It was the Lal Masjid operation in July 2007, which totally changed Ilyas Kashmiri. He moved to North Waziristan where he spent many years as a Jihad instructor. This area was full of his friends and sympathisers. He reorganized his 313 Brigade and joined hands with the Taliban but he was never close to al-Qaeda leadership. He attracted many former Pakistan Army officers to join hands with him. The strength of 313 Brigade in North Waziristan was more than 3,000. Most of his fighters were hired from the Punjab, Sindh and Azad Kashmir. It is alleged that he organised many terrorist attacks in different areas of Pakistan, including the assassination of Major General (retd) Faisal Alvi in Rawalpindi. Alvi was also from the SSG and he led the first-ever Army operation in North Waziristan in 2004. Kashmiri planned attacks on Alvi on the demand of Taliban in North Waziristan. Sources close to his family have yet not confirmed his death in a US drone attack but there is no doubt that Ilyas Kashmiri was actually a creation of the Pakistani establishment like Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of the banned LeT. The Pakistani establishment abandoned and arrested most of these militant leaders without realising that they had followers all over Pakistan and they could create problems for Pakistan anytime. The establishment is still without any policy about all those who were once declared “freedom fighters” and were honored by the top Army officials like Pervez Musharraf.

My only point is this that why should we blame USA when our several TV Anchors for instance Kamran Khan of GEO TV who 'SUCCESSFULLY' [Al-Qaeda commander claims responsibility for 9/11 attacks Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Accuses Pakistan of inflicting more damage on his organisation; Mustafa says al-Qaeda men also attacked Danish embassy in Islamabad These comments were made in an interview with Najeeb Ahmed that was broadcast on Monday on Geo TV's Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath programme. This was the first detailed interview in five years of a senior al-Qaeda leader. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=16144 ] interviewed some obscure and concocted Militant Abu Mustafa Al Yazid [What is Al-Qaida ? Aaj Kamran Khan K saath P-1 http://vidpk.com/14526/What-is-Al-Qaida-?-Aaj-Kamran-Khan-K-saath-P-1/ http://vidpk.com/channel_detail.php?chid=41 ] and relayed it on GEO TV for creating more problem for Pakistan. How the hell they get such interviews when even the high tech Western Agencies could't trace them??? Months after right after 911 Hamid Mir filed a front page Super Headline In Daily Dawn that Osama Bin Laden has 36 Nukes [Hamid Mir wasn't even Dawn Employee not even on contract Daily Dawn, Hameed Haroon, Hamid Mir & Nuclear Bombs http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/04/daily-dawn-hameed-haroon-hamid-mir.html Hamid Mir Calamity & Geo TV. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2008/12/hamid-mir-calamity-geo-tv.html ] what was the purpose of such stories which always embarrassed Pakistan. There are several Militants of Northern Areas who used to address crowded Press Conference and getting coverage in every Private TV Channels in Pakistan. Basically this Rat Race amongst TV Channels has ruined the mental peace of Pakistanis. Nobody is saying to ban TV Channels but did anyone ever questioned the news they present, its veracity, its source, and its background. These TV Channels are keeping alive this "Alleged War On Terror" to make money out of the miseries of People of NWFP, Baluchistan and FATA. Let me quote you a dialogue from a best seller by Late. Harold Robbins

'The truth,' I said. 'Can't any of you tell the truth? Do you always have to manipulate others doing your dirty work for you when the truth is so much simpler?'

'That's show business,' Guy said glibly.

'I don't like it,' I said.

'You better get used to it if you're going to stay in it.' (from The Lonely Lady, 1976)

Despite all this the Editor Jang has the audacity to lecture Pakistanis about "Corruption Free Pakistan" in his editorial

The Editor Daily Jang in his editorial dated 7 Nov 2009 http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/idaria.htm [Internet Edition]is lecturing Pakistani People and Politicians about Corruptions what about CORRUPT AND LIAR Journalists in Jang Group of Newspapers/The News International and GEO TV.

And if that was not enough another Group Editor, The News International i.e. Mr Shaheeh Sehbai [same Newspaper Group] who has nowadays adopted the role of Grand Tomás de Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain, and like a bull in a china shop hitting everybody without even bothering to remember [as per his own article] that several leading corrupt journalists/columnists [again as per his own article] are working and writing in Daily Jang.

Shaheen Sehbai on Corruption in the Print Media: The peers, naturally those who come out unscathed and "clean", should sit down to formulate lists of those who have been publicly demonstrating a lack of intellectual, moral and professional integrity. Big names like Minhaj Barna, Mushahid Hussain, Maleeha Lodhi, Wajid Shamsul Hassan, Nazir Naji, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Ayaz Amir, Hussain Haqqani, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, Najam Sethi, Nasim Zehra, Jamiluddin Aali and many others who sought or accepted political, diplomatic or government jobs, or joined political parties as activists, should be asked to explain why they did not quit journalism to do so and why they continued to use the profession to get, keep or regain lucrative jobs or positions of power. How do they retain, or claim to retain, their objectivity and credibility, once they have demonstrated their political ambitions. In the least they should have apologised to the profession. REFERENCE: Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 5, 2000 REFERENCE: http://www.chowk.com/articles/4687

Atta ul Haq Qasmi [condemned by Shaheen Sehbai in 2000 Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 5, 2000 REFERENCE: http://www.chowk.com/articles/4687 for corruption but contributing for Corruption Free Jang]

Jang publish Quran and Haidth on its front page and read and listen the audio of Jang Group Journalists and note the abusive language. Do also note in the light of Ansar Abbasi's claim that he is Islamist Journalist whereas he and his subordinate Ahmed Noorani are involved in wiretapping without court order and in second part of the audio Nazir Naji asks "are you tapping the call to which Noorani says no" [Lies and Islamic Journalism]

The Editor Daily Jang in his editorial dated 7 Nov 2009 http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/idaria.htm is lecturing Pakistani People and Politicians about Corruptions what about Abusive AND Criminal Journalists in Jang Group of Newspapers/The News International and GEO TV.

Nazir Naji Abusing Journalist APRIL 19, 2009 . 580 COMMENTS in Featured Articles

http://pkpolitics.com/2009/04/19/nazir-naji-abusing-journalist/

Audio is in three part click the link and read the Editor Jang who is advising government on Controlling Corruption whereas forgetting that JANG Group is infested with Corruption.

STOP PRESS

Since Judiciary is restored and you can check PLD that what the Judiciary has to say about Wiretapping and Eavesdropping

In 1997 the Supreme Court directed the Government to seek its permission before carrying out wiretapping or eavesdropping operations; however, the judiciary’s directive has been ignored widely. No action was taken during the year 2001 on the case of 12 government agencies accused of tapping and monitoring citizens’ phone calls, which has been pending since 1996, and no additional action the case was expected.

Pakistan Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2003 February 25, 2004 http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27950.htm

The Supreme Court directed the Government to seek its permission before carrying out wiretapping or eavesdropping operations; however, the degree of compliance with this ruling was unclear at year’s end.

“The government acted in violation of Article 190 of the constitution, which says all executive and judicial authorities in Pakistan shall act in aid of the Supreme Court. Instead of readily and honestly complying with the Supreme Court verdict in the Judges’ case, the prime minister castigated the ridiculed it and implemented it reluctantly in phases. Then there was the allegation of wiretapping of state functionaries, which is also a violation of a fundamental right.”[Dawn 30.1.1997]

Do note the wording “wiretapping/intercepting of anybody not just state officials” Pakistan Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 1999 February 23, 2000 http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/441.htm

In 1997 the Supreme Court directed the federal Government to seek the Court’s permission before carrying out any future wiretapping or eavesdropping operations. Nonetheless, that same year, a lawyer for a former director of the Intelligence Bureau, charged with illegal wiretapping during Benazir Bhutto’s second term in office, presented the Supreme Court with a list of 12 government agencies that still tapped and monitored telephone calls of citizens.

Why these tapes have appeared [if genuine] so suddenly just after Mr Ansar Abbasi [Editor Investigations - The News International/Jang/GEO] surrendered his own plot and “managed to file” a particular story on this surrender??

Mr. Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor, The News International - Jang Group of Newspapers is very fond of quoting Foreign Press particularly when Foreign Press [Pro Zionist] is negative on President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and PPP. Shaheen Sehbai while quoting The New York Times: “The problems in Afghanistan have only been compounded by the fragility of Mr. Obama’s partner in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari, who is so weak that his government seems near collapse.” The Washington Post in a report by two correspondents said: “Zardari's political weakness is an additional hazard for a new bilateral relationship...The administration expects Zardari's position to continue to weaken, leaving him as a largely ceremonial president even if he manages to survive in office.” The report in The New York Times was filed by journalists Peter Baker, Eric Schmitt, David E Sanger, Elisabeth Bumiller and Sabrina Tavernise from Islamabad, Washington and New York while in the Washington Post Karen DeYoung from Washington and Pamela Constable from Islamabad contributed to its report. Both newspapers referred to President Zardari's increasing weakness in the context of the new Afghan policy being prepared by President Obama, which will be announced on Dec 1. REFERENCE: Obama administration fears Zardari collapse WASHINGTON (Shaheen Sehbai)Updated at: 1525 PST, Monday, November 30, 2009 http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=92494

Seven years ago Mr Shaheen Sehbai was also quoted in The New York Times as well his Editor in Chief i.e. Mir Shakil ur Rehman, and do note what Mir Shakil ur Rehman had to say about the Patriotism and Loyalty of Shaheen Sehbai with Pakistan.

"QUOTE"

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 1 (Reuters) -- The editor of a leading English-language daily said today that he had resigned, citing pressure from the government after the newspaper reported a link between the prime suspect in the killing of Daniel Pearl and an attack on India's Parliament in December. India blamed Pakistan-based militant groups for the attack, but the Pakistani government denied any link. The editor who resigned, Shaheen Sehbai, said that after publication of the article in his paper, The News, the owner and editor in chief, Mir Shakeel ur-Rahman, was pressed by the government to dismiss him and three other journalists. ''I was told by my editor in chief that he had been asked to sack four journalists -- myself, Kamran Khan, Amir Mateen and Rauf Klasra,'' Mr. Sehabai said in an online interview. ''He did not name who had said that, but he told me to go and see the I.S.I.,'' Pakistan's intelligence service. REFERENCES: A NATION CHALLENGED: SUSPECTS; Kidnapping Suspect Bears Sign of Militancy Elsewhere By DOUGLAS JEHL Published: Saturday, March 2, 2002 Editor Forced to Resign http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/world/nation-challenged-suspects-kidnapping-suspect-bears-sign-militancy-elsewhere.html

The article, Mr. Rahman wrote in the letter dismissing Mr. Sehbai, ''was perceived to be damaging to our national interest and elicited severe reaction of the government.'' He also accused Mr. Sehbai of violating standard procedures. Mr. Rahman and government officials were not immediately available for comment. Mr. Sehbai and one of the reporters, Mr. Klasra, have recently complained of harassment by intelligence agencies, a colleague said. While Pakistan's news media enjoy relative freedom, some newspapers have been forced to remove staff members after complaints from the government or intelligence agencies. REFERENCES: A NATION CHALLENGED: SUSPECTS; Kidnapping Suspect Bears Sign of Militancy Elsewhere By DOUGLAS JEHL Published: Saturday, March 2, 2002 Editor Forced to Resign http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/world/nation-challenged-suspects-kidnapping-suspect-bears-sign-militancy-elsewhere.html

"UNQUOTE"

SHAHEEN SEHBAI'S DOUBTFUL LOYALTY WITH PAKISTAN AND READ WHAT HE HAD SAID TO "The Times of India" ABOUT PAKISTAN ARMY AND ISI.

"QUOTE"



Exposing the Pakistani establishment's links with terrorists can be a hazardous job. It cost Daniel Pearl his life, and Shaheen Sehbai, former editor of 'The News', a widely-read English daily in Pakistan his job. Fearing for his life, Sehbai is now in the US He speaks to Shobha John about the pressure on journalists from the powers-that-be in Pakistan:

Q. Is it true you had to quit because a news report angered the government?

A. On February 16, our Karachi reporter, Kamran Khan, filed a story quoting Omar Sheikh as saying that he was behind the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, the Kashmir assembly attack and other terrorist acts in India. Shortly after I am, I got a call on my cellphone from Ashfaq Gondal, the principal information officer of the government, telling me that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had intercepted the story and I should stop its publication. I told him I was not prepared to do so. He then called my newspaper group owner/editor-in-chief, Mir Shakil ur Rehman in London and asked him to stop the story. Rehman stopped it in the Jang, the sister newspaper in Urdu but could not do so in The News as I was unavailable. The next day, all editions of The News carried the story. It was also carried by The Washington Post and The International Herald Tribune the same day, as Kamran also reports for The Post. On February 18, all government advertising for the entire group was stopped. On February 22, Rehman rushed to Karachi and called a meeting at 10 p m. He told me the government was very angry at the story. He said he had been told to sack four journalists, including myself, if the ads were to be restored. He asked me to proceed to Islamabad to pacify the officials. Sham informed us that he had contacted the officials and was told by Anwar Mahmood, the information secretary that the matter was now beyond his capacity and we will have to see the ISI high-ups to resolve it. I was told to go and see the ISI chief in Islamabad and also to call Anwar Mahmood on Eid and improve my 'public relations' with him.

I left the meeting with the firm resolve that I would neither call nor meet anyone, even at gunpoint. Sham, however, left for Islamabad to meet the officials. His meetings were unsuccessful. From my sources, I learned that the ISI and the government were not prepared to lift the ban unless I gave them specific assurances. If I refused, there may be trouble for me as the owner was already under pressure to fire me and the other three journalists. On February 27, I took a flight out of Karachi to New York. On February 28, I received a memo from my owner accusing me of policy violations. In reply, on March 1, I sent in my resignation.

Q. Is the ISI still keeping a close watch on journalists after Daniel Pearl's killing?

A. The ISI has been a major player in domestic politics and continues to be so. That means it has to control the media and right now, it is actively involved in doing so. Pearl's murder has given them more reasons to activate the national interest excuse.

Q. Is there a sense of desperation within the Pakistan government that it should not be linked in any way to events in India?

A. Yes. That's why when our story quoted Omar Sheikh claiming such links, the government came down hard on us.

Q. Has there been any pressure on the staff of 'The News' to 'conform'?

A. Yes. The News was under constant pressure to stop its aggressive reporting on the corruption of the present government. A few months back, Pakistan International Airlines stopped all ads to The News as we ran a couple of exposes. A major story on the government owned United Bank was blocked when we sought the official version. Intelligence agencies were deputed to tail our reporters in Islamabad.

Q. This is not the first time you and your family have been under pressure, is it?

A. I have been the target of physical attacks in the past too for stories against the government. The first was in August 1990 when I was arrested and detained for 36 hours and falsely charged for drinking, before a judge gave bail. The second time, in December 1991, three masked men broke into my house in Islamabad, ransacked it, pulled guns on my two sons, beat them up and told them, Tell your father to write against the government again and see what happens. In 1995, I was threatened once again and I had to take my entire family away. My newspaper then, Dawn, decided to post me to Washington as their correspondent. This time, I feared that I could be physically targeted again. So I decided to leave the country.

Q. Is the present regime in Pakistan any different from earlier ones with regard to freedom of the press?

A. It has tolerated some freedom under foreign pressure, but the situation is basically the same. Now Musharraf appears to be under pressure to manage the media more effectively in order to manage the October elections and get his supporters elected in the polls. He needs to legitimise his military rule through a political process, which essentially is being rigged from the beginning.

Q. Is your case the first instance of a crackdown on the media by this government?

A. This was the first case of a major financial squeeze on the country's largest media group. It was followed by demands to sack me and other senior journalists and then to change the policy.

Q. How independent will the forthcoming polls be now?

A. They will be as independent as the recently-concluded local bodies polls in which candidates were named by the army and no one else was allowed to win. Candidates for state and national assemblies are now being pre-selected and influential politicians are being pressured, lured or coerced to join Musharrafs supporters.

Q. What is the mood within the Pakistani media?

A. The media is generally quiet and has fallen in line because Musharraf is getting strong support from the US and the West. But elements in the media are very resolute and they will fight back as soon as they see Musharraf losing his grip. The October polls will determine the role of the media as well because if Musharraf fails to 'manage' the elections, his control over the media will be finished.

Q. What do you propose to do now?

A. I will be writing out of Washington for some time and will return to Pakistan around the October polls. My days in Pakistan were very exciting as I maintained a completely independent editorial policy and pursued it to the last day. In the memos written by the owner, he repeatedly complains that I was not consulting him on policies. I had no need to, as he watches his own commercial interests. REFERENCE: The Daily Noose (Interview with Shaheen Sehbai) Publication: The Times of India Date: March 18, 2002 http://www.hvk.org/articles/0302/206.html

"UNQUOTE"

Mr. Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor, The News International - Jang Group of Newspapers is very fond of quoting Foreign Press particularly when Foreign Press [Pro Zionist] is negative on President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and PPP. Shaheen Sehbai while quoting The New York Times: “The problems in Afghanistan have only been compounded by the fragility of Mr. Obama’s partner in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari, who is so weak that his government seems near collapse.” The Washington Post in a report by two correspondents said: “Zardari's political weakness is an additional hazard for a new bilateral relationship...The administration expects Zardari's position to continue to weaken, leaving him as a largely ceremonial president even if he manages to survive in office.” REFERENCE: Obama administration fears Zardari collapse WASHINGTON (Shaheen Sehbai)Updated at: 1525 PST, Monday, November 30, 2009 http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=92494 Obama administration fears Zardari collapse Updated at: 1525 PST, Monday,November 30, 2009 http://www.geo.tv/11-30-2009/53849.htm

Should we believe Mr Shaheen Sehbai or his Editor in Chief Mir Shakil ur Rahman's Letter Addressed to Mr Shaheen Sehbai asking for his resign on filing Concocted Stories in The News International

"QUOTE"

SHAHEEN SEHBAI RESIGNS AS EDITOR OF `THE NEWS`

Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2002 07:42:48 -0500

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

It is with great sorrow that I have to convey this bad news to you all today. I have resigned today as the Editor.

I am enclosing enclosing the correspondence with MSR which is self explanatory. I wish to thank you all for all the cooperation and respect that you extended to me during these 14 months as Editor. I will be available to each one of you as a friend at all times. Wishing you the best of luck and a great future. Shaheen Sehbai

Pl read on:

Memorandum

To: Mir Shakil ur Rehman, Editor-in-Chief, The News
From: Shaheen Sehbai, Editor, The News
Date: March 1, 2002
Subject: Reply to Memo dated Feb 28, 2002

With reference to your Memo dated Feb 28, I have been accused of policy violations starting from March 2001 until the publication on Feb 17 this year of the Kamran Khan story on Daniel Pearl case. I can obviously understand that these so-called �policy violations?are nothing but an excuse to comply with the Government demand to sack me, and three other senior journalists, as you told me in our meeting in your office on Feb 22. I feel sorry that you have to make such excuses. You could have given one hint that you wanted me to go and I would have quit immediately.

I understand that you, as owner of the Jang Group of Newspapers have been so intensely pressurized in the last about two weeks that you are no longer ready, or able, to withstand it. All government advertising of the Group has been unjustifiably suspended by the Government starting Monday, February 18, 2002, following the investigative story done in The News by our reporter, Kamran Khan. This story, as it appears now, was just an excuse to twist the neck of the Group because the same story appeared simultaneously in the Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune and not one point contained in it was denied or clarified by the Government. Instead they tightened the screw on the Jang Group, as it appeared to be the most vulnerable and within their reach. This has a very obvious, and sinister message, for the free Press in Pakistan: Get in line, or be ready for the stick.?I feel sorry that you have decided to get in line, but I cannot be a party to this decision.

You had informed me officially at a meeting in your office on Feb 22, 2002, at 10.15 p.m. that you have been given names of four journalists of The News? myself, Kamran Khan, Amir Mateen and a staffer in our Islamabad Bureau (probably Rauf Klasra as you did not name the 4th person), to be immediately sacked before the government advertisements could be restored. You also informed me that officials of the Information Ministry wanted me to improve my PR with them as they had been complaining that I was not available to them, which is basically not true. You told me to directly contact these officials and talk to them about restoring the advertisements of the Group. Mr Mahmud Sham, who later joined our meeting, had informed us that the Secretary Information had clearly stated that matters were beyond his capacity to resolve and that we have now to meet the ISI high ups.

As a matter of principle I refused to call, or meet, any of these government officials in a situation when the entire Group was being held hostage with a gun pointed at its head. I, however, conveyed to the Government, through Mr Sham, all the evidence that the policy of The News?was very balanced, in fact tilted, in favour of General Pervez Musharraf's government, not under any government pressure, but because some of the things he was doing were right and The News never hesitated to support any right step taken by the Government. At least 50 editorials and over 100 Op-Ed articles published in about 6 weeks were cited to show that The News had no bias against the government. Proof was also provided of how �The News? at times, went out of its way to accommodate government requests.

Apparently these argument have not satisfied the government and the pressure is continuing on you, as your Memo indicates. Whatever other issues you have raised are childish and frivolous and I would not waste my time discussing them. But one message that emerges is very clear --- I ran the newspaper as a very independent Editor, according to whatever I thought was objective, true and professionally sound journalism. I made the best use of the latest available computer technology to create a working environment in which the entire editorial staff was integrated in such a network that almost everyone was available to each other at all times. I interacted with all my staff on a personal, round the clock basis, no matter where I was located or traveling, even outside Pakistan. So the charge that I was not available to my staff is laughable as it shows how far removed you are from the ground situation.

Your complaint of lack of general improvement in The News?is also obviously an excuse to build some case against me under Government pressure. You never once complained of that before. In fact the ground reality is just the opposite. I successfully built a great team of reporters, editors and writers during the 14 months I have been the Editor. We achieved a lot in breaking major stories, including assumption of the office of the President by General Musharraf and corruption in various government departments including Social Action Programme (SAP) and Employees Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI). The overwhelming impression that any newspaper of the Jang Group could not publish anything against its advertisers and commercial sponsors was removed by the investigative stories we did on PIA and other corporate organizations. The News became the most quoted newspaper abroad, not only for its stories but its editorial comments and opinions. The latest such quote was in the prestigious New York Times just three days ago. The Washington Post interviewed me last week as Editor of The News.

The real reasons for failure to bring about a real visible change in Karachi are known to you. For over a year now you have been sitting on all the plans, proposals and schemes, including a Vision Document prepared after months of hard work. The scheme to revamp all the magazines has been lying on your table for months. The designs and site plans to renovate the entire newspaper office on 4th and 5th floors has been gaining dust for months and the staff is forced to work with hundreds of cockroaches creeping on papers, computers, inside telephone sets and faxmachines. In fact I have been bogged down in these totally useless exercises for most of my time, hoping that you would find time and money to start implementing any of these detailed proposals for change and improvement. You have always been promising to launch these scheme within weeks, but that time never came. I am appalled at your audacity to accuse me of being responsible for not bringing any change while the fact is that you have always been complaining of the financial crunch?in the newspaper. You have stopped increments of all the staff and played legal jugglery with all the contract employees by refusing to renew their contracts or giving them salary increases.

Even despite that I continued to work 20 hours a day to improve the editorial content of the newspaper which has been appreciated and recognized by every one, including your senior Directors and Editors of sister publications in letters written to me. The readers, however, are the best judge.

Why you never raised any objection before, and why you are doing it now, is obvious --- the Government pressure is unbearable. This is not a happy omen.

Therefore, I have to convey this sad message to you, though I feel very content and satisfied that I have taken the right decision on the basis of principles. I have decided to resign from the Editorship of The News with immediate effect, rather than to submit to Government pressure and change the policy of the newspaper. Under my editorship, I will not allow the newspaper to become the voice of any government for monetary considerations. I had given my name, credibility and reputation to The News?and I prefer to protect these precious assets, rather than my job. But I will earnestly request you not to take any action against the other colleagues you have been asked to sack, as the ultimate responsibility of whatever appeared in the newspaper was mine, as Editor, and not theirs. They should be allowed to continue with their jobs. I wish, you, the newspaper and all of my colleagues a great future.

I hereby, resign from the editorship. Please accept my resignation today and remove my name from the print line of the newspaper as of tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, 2002. I would not be responsible for the contents of the newspaper as of tomorrow.

Best Regards

Shaheen Sehbai

Memorandum

To: Shaheen Sehbai, Editor, The News
From: MSR, Editor-in-Chief
Date: 2/28/02
Re: Violation of policy


I am constrained to bring to your notice several, and repeated, violation of editorial policies clearly understood between us. Infact, these policies have also been agreed in writing. On 26th March, 2001, you had published a one sided, incorrect and libelous article against Mr. Aittiazaz Bob Din, a well known businessman residing in the United States. Although Mr. Bob Din had cited person differences between the two of you, dating back to your stay in the United States, as the motive behind the unfounded allegations against him, I had disregarded this suggestion at that time and had judged the matter purely on merit. As you will recall, you were unable to substantiate the serious charges you had leveled against him. It was only through my personal apologies and the intervention of mutual acquaintances that we were able to dissuade Mr. Din from suing the News for defamation and libel.

On two different occasions, you published unfavourable articles about PIA, which were of uncertain veracity and did not contain their point of view, as a result of which they denounced these articles in a press conference, threatened to take legal action, suspended our advertisements and also stopped putting our papers on PIA flights. Needless to say, these measures hurt us financially, damaged our reputation and took a great deal of pacification to undo.

I would also refer to the written terms of our agreement at the time of your appointment under which you are required to discuss the top stories of the day and other important editorial matters with me and seek the Editor-in-chiefs point of view and verdict on contentious issues? To my recollection, you have never deemed it fit to consult me on any matter. In this connection, I would further like to refer to our meeting on the eve of Eid in which group Editor Daily Jang was also present and we discussed the fallout of the story printed a few days earlier in the News ( again without consulting me, I might add ) which was perceived to be damaging to our national interest and elicited severe reaction by the Government. It had been agreed that we would contact relevant Government functionaries and arrange to meet with them to discuss the issue and also convey our point of view. Regrettably, you chose not to go to Islamabad and attend the meeting even though this had been clearly agreed. You even rebuffed senior Government officials who contacted you on the phone by hanging up on them. Sham Sahib and I left several messages with your assistant but again, you chose not to take or return our calls.

I would also like to take this opportunity to point out again, that it is a frequent complaint that you do not interact with people. Not only have senior Government officials protested that you are inaccessible to them, but even your own staff complains that you are hardly available for meetings, guidance and discussions.

I must convey my disappointment to you at all these issues, as I must convey my disappointment with the lack of general progress in the improvement of the News. The number of mistakes and blunders being committed, failure to follow agreed journalistic ethics - as pointed out to you from time to time by EMD have all resulted in financial set backs as well as loss of credibility for the News. I have only recounted some of the problems besetting the Jang group. It is quite evident that matters are not proceeding as we had agreed. However, before I make up my mind, I would like to hear your point of view.

I look forward to hearing from you about the serious issues that I have raised above and any solutions that you may propose.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

"UNQUOTE"

REFERENCE: Why Are We Killing Ourselves? Anas Malik March 2, 2002 http://www.chowk.com/interacts/5252/1/0/a

Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence. Every citizen, not being in the service of Pakistan, shall have the right to form or be a member of a political party,. REFERENCE: 1973 Constitution of Pakistan http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part2.ch1.html

One must raise objection on the comment of Mr Hamid Mir and Mr Ansar Abbasi that a blog http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/ carrying PPP flag!!! What does that mean? Should Pakistanis first have permission from GEO TV/Jang Group/The News International to utter something, or one has to ask for permission of GEO TV/Jang Group/The News International to exercise their Political Right that includes showing Flag of any political party. Both of the Top Journalists Mr Hamid Mir and Mr Ansar Abbasi were behaving as if we are living in Third Reich.

In his popular talk show 'Capital Talk' (Geo TV) on the night of 5 November 2009, Hamid Mir dedicated almost entire program to criticize the 'Let us build Pakistan' blog as well as the group 'Critical Supporters of Pakistan People's Party' (CSPP). Hamid Mir and his guest Ansar Abbasi alleged that the 'Let us build Pakistan' was being run from the President House, and that an ambassador was the overall in charge of this blog. Mir also alleged that the CSPP and the Let us build Pakistan were trying to create differences between Pakistan Army and media. REFERENCE: The 'Capital Talk' and the 'Let us build Pakistan' debate http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-and-let-us-build-pakistan.html

VIDEOS OF THE PROGRAM:









COURTESY: http://www.youtube.com/user/politicssss

[ Download ]

[ Download ]

[ Download ]

[ Download ]

COURTESY: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrNeopk

Lets suppose that http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-and-let-us-build-pakistan.html is owned by PPP then what about those blogs who are exposing Rauf Klasra, Haroon ur Rasheed, and Mohammad Malick Video - Journalist Corruption – PKPolitics Responds http://pkpolitics.com/2009/07/28/journalist-corruption-pkpolitics-responds/ or what about those blog which are critical to the PPP Pakistan Army kicks out Rehman Malik from GHQ http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/18/pakistan-army-kicks-out-rehman-malik-from-ghq

LET ME GIVE A GLIMPSE OF MUD SLINGING

The Editor Daily Jang in his editorial dated 7 Nov 2009 http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/idaria.htm is lecturing Pakistani People and Politicians about Corruptions what about CORRUPT AND LIAR Journalists in Jang Group of Newspapers/The News International and GEO TV.

Journalist Corruption Scandal - Mohammad Malick JUNE 3, 2009.

Courtesy: PKPOLITICS http://pkpolitics.com/

URL: http://pkpolitics.com/2009/06/03/journalist-corruption-scandal-mohammad-malick/

Shaheen Sehbai in the year 2000 on Corrupt Journalists:

The peers, naturally those who come out unscathed and "clean", should sit down to formulate lists of those who have been publicly demonstrating a lack of intellectual, moral and professional integrity. Big names like Minhaj Barna, Mushahid Hussain, Maleeha Lodhi, Wajid Shamsul Hassan, Nazir Naji, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Ayaz Amir, Hussain Haqqani, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, Najam Sethi, Nasim Zehra, Jamiluddin Aali and many others who sought or accepted political, diplomatic or government jobs, or joined political parties as activists, should be asked to explain why they did not quit journalism to do so and why they continued to use the profession to get, keep or regain lucrative jobs or positions of power. How do they retain, or claim to retain, their objectivity and credibility, once they have demonstrated their political ambitions. In the least they should have apologised to the profession. REFERENCE: Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 5, 2000 REFERENCE: http://www.chowk.com/articles/4687

The Editor Daily Jang in his editorial dated 7 Nov 2009 http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/idaria.htm is lecturing Pakistani People and Politicians about Corruptions what about CORRUPT AND LIAR Journalists in Jang Group of Newspapers/The News International and GEO TV.

Video - Journalist Corruption – PKPolitics Responds

http://pkpolitics.com/2009/07/28/journalist-corruption-pkpolitics-responds/

Atta ul Haq Qasmi [condemned by Shaheen Sehbai in 2000 Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 5, 2000 REFERENCE: http://www.chowk.com/articles/4687 for corruption but contributing for Corruption Free Jang]

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/col3.htm

Haroon ur Rasheed [still writing in Corruption Free Jang]

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/07-11-2009/col4.htm

Shaheen Sehbai on Corruption in Media:

The peers, naturally those who come out unscathed and "clean", should sit down to formulate lists of those who have been publicly demonstrating a lack of intellectual, moral and professional integrity. Big names like Minhaj Barna, Mushahid Hussain, Maleeha Lodhi, Wajid Shamsul Hassan, Nazir Naji, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Ayaz Amir, Hussain Haqqani, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, Najam Sethi, Nasim Zehra, Jamiluddin Aali and many others who sought or accepted political, diplomatic or government jobs, or joined political parties as activists, should be asked to explain why they did not quit journalism to do so and why they continued to use the profession to get, keep or regain lucrative jobs or positions of power. How do they retain, or claim to retain, their objectivity and credibility, once they have demonstrated their political ambitions. In the least they should have apologised to the profession. REFERENCE: Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 5, 2000 REFERENCE: http://www.chowk.com/articles/4687

Can Shaheen Sehbai prove his wild accusations against some journalists/columnists in the Court of Law?

Dr Shahid Masood and Jang Group of Newspapers often pull popular stunt to gain cheap popularity.[that is why Dr Shahid often write Urdu Columns because human memory is weak] One wonder which version of Shahid Masood and Jang are to be trusted? the one who started his career in ARY ONE World - Views on News, the one who used to exploit Pakistanis on Meray Mutabiq on GEO TV, or the one who joined PTV and Prime Minister Secretariat as the Advisor to PM or the one who again joined Jang Group of Newspapers and GEO TV's Meray Mutabiq [AIK BAR PHIR - ONCE AGAIN] ‘revealing’ that he is dismantled by the government, I wonder after so many somersaults [for earning quick bucks], does even the inept PPP Government need a Zionist Conspiracy to dismantle this comedian, Dr Shahid Masood? One wonders that when Dr Shahid Masood knew everything bad about Asif Ali Zardari & Co then why did he join the PPP Cabinet, he also accepted the post of MD PTV and then again quit PTV and that too when his pay package was discussed [read the news below filed by the side kick of Ansar Abbasi i.e. Muhammad Ahmad Noorani in The News]in National Assembly and Senate he filed this story in The News International about Ansar Abbasi and rejoined GEO TV again.

ISLAMABAD: Senior anchor person and former MD PTV Dr Shahid Masood has said that he has been told by a federal minister that Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigations, The News, was on the government hit list and once he is “dismantled” the next target will be Shaheen Sehbai, the Group Editor of the newspaper. Dr Shahid explained that he was clearly told by a PPP government federal minister that he (Dr Shahid) has already been ‘dismantled.’ “Ansar Abbasi is being dismantled right now while Shaheen Sehbai will be dismantled in the near future,” he said. REFERENCE:Minister reveals media-bashing plans of government, says Dr Shahid By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani Wednesday, December 31, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19300

According to Dr Shahid Masood, the minister told him that first he (Dr Shahid) had been ‘dismantled’ successfully. “Now a character assassination campaign against the Editor Investigations, The News Ansar Abbasi is under way, and after completely dismantling him (Ansar) a similar campaign will be launched against Group Editor, The News, Shaheen Sehbai. REFERENCE: Minister reveals media-bashing plans of government, says Dr Shahid By Muhammad Ahmad Nooran Wednesday, December 31, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19300

BUT THE SAME GEO TV/JANG GROUP/THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL'S CHIEF CORRESPONDENT KAMRAN KHAN DENY ITS OWN NEWS BY REFUTING DR. SHAHID MASOOD'S CLAIM IN AN EPISODE OF GEO TV "JAWABDEH" - WATCH AS TO HOW KAMRAN KHAN EXPOSED DR. SHAHID MASOOD IN THE VIDEO.


Dr. Shahid Masood is ‘bad mouthing’ everybody from Musharraf to Zardari but would you like to watch him in this video with Musharraf and Dr Ishratul Ibad???? Dr Shahid Masood in the company of Relaxed General Musharraf and Governor Sindh Ishratul Ibad and that too after Dr Shahid Masood joined Pakistan Television Corporation on the orders of President Zardari:

Musharraf and Shahid Masood Freindship

Mr. Ansar Abbasi's sidekick in The News International i.e. Mr. Muhammad Ahmad Noorani had also filed this story today i.e. Sunday, November 22, 2009, and he is feeling very bad about ARY ONE WORLD'S FOUNDER OWNER Haji Abdul Razzaq of ARY TV INVOLVEMENT IN CORRUTPION and NRO. One thing is forgotten by Mr Muhammad Ahmad Noorani that Dr. Shahid Masood [GEO TV] was once affiliated with ARY One World, as its senior executive director and was the chief of ARY One World conducting the show Views On News on ARY.

"QUOTE"


ISLAMABAD: It might be shameful for the whole media community of Pakistan which is continuously fighting against dictatorial rules and its by-products like the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), one of the cronies of top man sitting at the capital hill top, Haji Abdul Razzaq of ARY TV, is also among the beneficiaries of the atrocious and notorious NRO ordinance. According to documents available with The News, in the scam of plundering of billions of rupees of the Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB), cases of buddies of the top man - Hussain Lawai and Haji Abdul Razzaq - were closed under the NRO after four months of the promulgation of the notorious law. Both the cases against Lawai and Haji Razzaq were criminal in nature and thus were closed/disposed of by the Special Court (Offences in Banks) on August 19, 2008, on the recommendation of a federal review board which was given on June 26, 2008.

It is highly criminal on the part of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that by defying all the rules and regulation it first gave a green signal to Hussain Lawai to be appointed as CEO of Arif Habib Bank, and now the central bank is in the process of bestowing My Bank upon the person involved in MCB plunder scam. The SBP spokesman was not available to record his version despite repeated calls made on his cell phone. A federal review board, consisting of Justice (R) Hamid Ali Mirza, Justice (R) Malik Muhammad Qayyum and Justice (R) Agha Rafiq Ahmad Khan, declared that FIR No 5/97 (Case No 12/97) and FIR No 6/97 (Case No 14/97) were politically motivated and thus the board recommend that the cases should be withdrawn. On this recommendation the concerned court acted swiftly and took no time in terminating the cases. According to the apex court judgment and legal interpretation these cases will be reopened on November 28, 2009, and both Lawai and Haji Razzaq will be liable to arrest. REFERENCE: MCB plunder scam By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani - ARY chief, Lawai were ‘cleansed’ under NRO Sunday, November 22, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25718

HUMAN MEMORY IS WEAK BUT FIRST AWARD SHOULD BE GIVEN TO JANG GROUP AND ITS CORRESPONDETNS BECAUSE THE SAME MUHAMMAD AHMAD NOORANI HAD FILED THIS NEWS AGAINST DR. SHAHID MASOOD WHEN HE JOINED THE PPP GOVERNMENT. ALL IS FORGOTTEN NOW BECAUSE NOW DR. SHAHID MASOOD IS IN GEO TV.



ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division on Monday issued an ambiguous notification explaining the package and remunerations of the newly-appointed chairman-cum-managing director of the state-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). The letter of the Establishment Division bearing No 1/64/2008-E-6, dated June 30, 2008, says that besides the fixed remuneration of the new chairman PTV, any other “financial benefits” are negotiable between Dr Shahid Masood and “competent authority” at some later stage. The Establishment Division letter read: “Dr Shahid Masood, chairman PTV, who also has the additional charge of managing director, has agreed to receive the same remuneration package which was given to former MD PTV Yousuf Baig Mirza (annexure-III).” The contract of Dr Shahid Masood will be for a period of five years which could be terminated by either side on a six-month notice. The attached document (annexure-III) issued by the Establishment Division on May 25, 2007, said that MD PTV Yousuf Baig Mirza would get Rs 700,000 per month as salary. His house rent would be Rs 150,000 and utility allowances Rs 25,000. The salary would be raised by Rs 50,000 per annum. Free mobile phone, two residence telephones and one fax would be allowed. Business class tickets would be given for the national and international travels. Recreational allowance would be given according to the situation. The notification issued by the Establishment Division on Monday said Dr Shahid Masood would be paid Rs 50,000 extra to that of the package of the previous MD as he (Dr Shahid) would also hold the office of the PTV chairman. REFERENCE: Package of PTV chairman announced By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani Tuesday, July 01, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=121626

Information minister Sherry Rehman has also approved the Establishment Division notification. However, senior PTV officials see the point of “extra financial benefits to be negotiated later” with concern. The officials maintained that it would be totally against the rules of the corporation and illegal to offer somebody any percentage of the income from any programme aired on the PTV. Dr Shahid Masood was appointed as the PTV chairman through the Establishment Division letter No 1/64/2008-E-6, dated May 31, 2008, and was given the additional charge of the MD through the letter No 1/64/2008-E-6, dated June 21, 2008. REFERENCE: Package of PTV chairman announced By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani Tuesday, July 01, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=121626

IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH MR. MUHAMMAD AHMAD NOORANI AND JANG GROUP STRIKE AGAIN AND THAT TOO WHEN DR SHAHID MASOOD JOINED GEO TV

ISLAMABAD: Senior anchor person and former MD PTV Dr Shahid Masood has said that he has been told by a federal minister that Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigations, The News, was on the government hit list and once he is “dismantled” the next target will be Shaheen Sehbai, the Group Editor of the newspaper. Dr Shahid explained that he was clearly told by a PPP government federal minister that he (Dr Shahid) has already been ‘dismantled.’ “Ansar Abbasi is being dismantled right now while Shaheen Sehbai will be dismantled in the near future,” he said. Dr Shahid Masood told The News that the message was conveyed to him in the last 48 hours through a federal minister. Shahid said that the minister was not threatening him directly but was conveying a message. “The establishment has decided to do this dismantling of senior journalists of the country (all incidentally belonging to the Jang Group of newspapers),” Dr Shahid quoted the federal minister as saying. Dr Shahid said that everything was being done by the government but the minister used the word “establishment”. It is important to mention here that the term establishment is generally used for the military authorities and intelligence agencies. According to Dr Shahid Masood, the minister told him that first he (Dr Shahid) had been ‘dismantled’ successfully. “Now a character assassination campaign against the Editor Investigations, The News Ansar Abbasi is under way, and after completely dismantling him (Ansar) a similar campaign will be launched against Group Editor, The News, Shaheen Sehbai. REFERENCE: Minister reveals media-bashing plans of government, says Dr Shahid By Muhammad Ahmad Nooran Wednesday, December 31, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19300

Dr Shahid, who hosts the Geo News programme “Meray Mutabiq,” which is recorded in Dubai, recently resigned as the chairman/MD PTV and as special assistant to the prime minister. Dr Shahid told this scribe that he responded to the minister by saying that it was unfortunate that the secret funds of the information ministry are being misused by bribing some mercenary journalists. Dr Shahid said that he told the minister that during his stay in a government department and later in government the use of this secret fund was confirmed. “However, it is very unfortunate that the secret fund of the information ministry, which was first used to bribe journalists to get support for government policies, is now being used to tarnish the image of some leading and independent journalists for the first time in the country’s history.” Dr Shahid said that he made it clear to the federal minister that government’s policy to tarnish the image of independent journalists by bribing other journalists through secret funds of the information ministry is going to fail and it will ultimately tarnish the image of politicians, democracy and the country. REFERENCE: Minister reveals media-bashing plans of government, says Dr Shahid By Muhammad Ahmad Nooran Wednesday, December 31, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19300

Despite all the above yet the Editor of The News International, Mr Shaheen Sehbai has the audacity to file this canard line in his bi-line “story” in The News. Shame on you Mr Shaheen!

“QUOTE”
Days after his meetings at the Nadra, an important journalist of the official news agency APP started calling TV anchors and media persons on behalf of Brig Imtiaz and each time he handed over the phone to the brigadier who wanted himself on the screens. Many anchors have gone on record to say the brigadier was too eager and ready to spills the beans. One anchor wrote that the brigadier said he wanted to explode a “political nuclear bomb”. That he was going to spill the beans against his own self was irrelevant and unimportant but this time he was trying to compensate the PPP for ‘Midnight Jackals’ against Benazir Bhutto. The part of the plot to attack the media is yet to be implemented as the operation is not yet over. politicians, he said that he himself (Kaira) was the biggest cell. REFERENCE: The return of the Daylight Jackals By Shaheen Sehbai with reporting from Mazhar Tufail and Ahmed Noorani Friday, September 04, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=24299

“UNQUOTE”
Mr. Shaheen Shebai [Former Correspondent of Daily Dawn Pakistan, Former Editor of The News International, Ex Director News of ARY ONE TV Channel, Former Director of GEO News Network, and presently Group Editor, The News International, Jang Group of Newspapers, Pakistan] I hope you remember the background of Mr Shahin Sehbai [One of the Editor of The News International and earlier he was in Dawn], he had escaped from Pakistan [to save himself from the wrath of the Establishment headed by General Musharraf and Co particularly after the Controversy of Shaheen Sehbai's Story on the Murder of Daniel Pearl after the start of War on Terror] and Mr Shaheen used to run a Web Based News Service i.e. South Asia Tribune but suddenly Mr Shaheen Sehbai reappeared and closed his website [whereas Mr Shaheen during his self imposed exile in USA used to raise hue and cry against the Military Establishment that he and his family member's life is in danger] he returned to Pakistan and that too under the same Martial Law of General Musharraf and joined ARY TV Channel then GEO and then The News International [where he is presently working].