Tag: Geo News

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Sindh to pass resolution against attack on Hamid Mir

Attack on Hamid Mir damaged press freedom

Karachi: Sindh Minister for Information and Archives Sharjeel Memon has said the Sindh Assembly would bring a resolution on Monday to condemn the murderous attack on senior journalist and TV anchor Hamid Mir.

Talking to The News on Sunday, he said that a written request had been sent to the federal government to provide relevant data from some cellular companies, besides the statements of eyewitnesses had also been collected in connection with the investigation of the case.

Memon said the government was also collecting evidence and investigations had been started. Following the receipt of the relevant data and records from the federal government, the investigation into the matter would be geared up and the Sindh government would leave no stone unturned to arrest the culprits.

The minister said that he had visited the hospital and inquired about the health of Mir, while former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto were in constant touch with the family of the journalist.

He said all the PPP leaders were praying for the early recovery of Mir.

Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani strongly condemned the attack on Mir and said the government would take all measures to arrest the culprits. He expressed his sympathy with the journalists community, saying the PPP government had always supported the cause of the media since the party believed in freedom of expression.

Durrani said the new IGP had just taken the charge and should be given some time to restore law and order in Karachi. Terrorism in Karachi is an old issue and it cannot be addressed overnight, he added. He said the Sindh government was also seeking help from the federal government to address the issue of terrorism.

Centre to cooperate

Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid assured the Sindh government on Sunday of the centre’s full cooperation in investigating the attack on senior journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir.

Talking to the media after inquiring about the health of Mir at the hospital, he said it was the responsibility of the provincial government to probe the incident. The minister assured that the federal government would provide all-out support.

Answering a question, Rashid said it would be premature to say anything as investigation was still at the initial stage. Mir had been striving for the supremacy of constitution and democracy, he said, terming the attack an attempt to stifle the media.

He said those involved in the attack were not sincere with democracy. He called for joint efforts to uphold the freedom of press and vowed that the culprits would be brought to justice.

The News

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Hamid, what’s his crime except speaking for the deprived, persecuted masses

ISLAMABAD: What’s the crime this lovely anchorperson, Hamid Mir, committed that hit the heartless attackers so hard that they pumped six bullets into his body, creating a worldwide furore.

He has been relentlessly speaking against the missing persons especially Balochs. He has the credit of hosting more programmes on this issue than all the talk shows of other private TV channels, put together. This was obviously hurting those who make people disappear and hate any mention of their crimes publicly by anyone.

Like my colleagues in the investigation cell, I never found Hamid Mir speaking against the Pakistan army or the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as premier state institutions, but he always vented out his great dislike for meddling of some of their elements in political matters, which is none of their business, and hiring of stooges by them.

Apart from what Hamid has been saying in his Capital Talk and writing in The News and Jang for years, we often heard his views in a blunt manner on a host of issues when he was engaged in lively discussions with us in our cell that he frequently visited.

In the now somewhat subsided row caused by the statements of two federal ministers against Pervez Musharraf and a remark of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Hamid stood with the democratic forces. He made no bones about his stand. A journalist worth the name is unexpected to act otherwise. He conducted a full-fledged interview with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was being attacked by other outlets by quoting his 2006 speech in the National Assembly. This was done just to malign him. This was also Hamid’s crime.

While winding up one of his recent programmes, he repeatedly said “stop saying bloody civilians”. This was a thinly veiled reference to what some khakis are known for saying about the muftis.

The powers that be wanted Hamid to speak against the government in this tiff that he was not willing to do. He was asked to temper his campaign on the missing persons but he was not prepared to bow to pressure.

While it is no secret to ordinary folks that the security establishment wants to get Musharraf out of the present complicated situation, Hamid always talked against allowing him to fly out of Pakistan without facing the pending court cases. “People of Balochistan will be further alienated if the former dictator went unpunished in the Akbar Bugti murder case,” he would always say.

Not only this, he kept insisting that Musharraf would not be permitted to fly out of Pakistan even if he was convicted; and the government would place his name on the Exit Control List in another case, if it was removed by a superior court.

On April 17, he authored a lengthy piece for The News/Jang on the Nawaz-Zardari meeting in which he also wrote: “They think that some important non-civilian functionaries are near retirement this year and these functionaries are playing a major role in putting pressure on the government in the name of Musharraf trial. Their actual goal is to get some extension.”

At least four days before he let out this information, we talked about these “non-civilians” while exchanging notes. It also cropped up in the discussion that a spymaster has complained to the prime minister about monitoring of his phones by another spy agency to which Nawaz Sharif quickly asked him to produce proof.

When it comes to Kashmir, Hamid would not allow anybody to talk about any concession to India whether it was Musharraf or anybody else in power because of his obsession with this region. He has been earning ire of the successive rulers when he has been swimming against the current.

Hamid, as I know him for having discussions with him for hours for years, is a kind-hearted, brave man, who can’t be bullied by the high and mighty. He is always in search of information and is not tired of doing even tiring leg work for his professional requirement.

He always stands with underdogs and those who are tormented by the state machinery. We would find him in every protest by the journalist community.The list of Hamid’s “crimes” is unending. He will continue to commit them like other journalists of his ilk. He has to otherwise he can no more be called a journalist of conscience.

A stupid argument has been given by some imprudent elements that what happened to him in Karachi was just a warning shot. No. The attack was solely and squarely aimed at assassinating him. He survived because of God’s will. A vibrant voice that is the beauty of the Capital Talk can’t be silenced. Many may have difference of opinion with Hamid on many counts, but use of force to make him fall in line is cruel, spiteful and uncivilised in a civilised society.

Hamid’s brother, Amir, has levelled a serious allegation by naming the ISI chief. It is for this premier agency, which has all the high-tech and sophistication, to investigate on its own, without waiting for any order from the government or the findings of any commission or inquiry, and pinpoint the attackers to clear its chief and other elements. If the agency wills to do this, it can. It should without any hesitation.

The News

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Amir Mir’s allegation should be probed, says Khursheed

LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah Sunday said attempt on the life of Geo TV’s senior anchor Hamid Mir was highly regrettable and the nature of allegations leveled by the injured journalist’s brother Amir Mir, demanded that the government and the army should jointly investigate the incident.

Talking to media persons at the airport, the PPP leader said the country could not tolerate any further dictatorship. He further said the minor mistakes of Parliament should be overlooked. “I have tied to convince Mian Sahab that the Pakistan Protection Bill is not good for the country and that it might create difficulties for him in future. The government should have taken all political parties into confidence on the PPO.”

Replying to a question about the resignation of PPP leader Faisal Raza Abidi, he said Abidi had been issued a show-cause notice for his activities against the party discipline.Referring to the recent survey rating PML-N government’s performance 59 percent, the PPP leader sarcastically remarked: “It seems inflation, load shedding and law and order problems have been resolved.”

The News

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Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety Condemns Attack on Hamid Mir

Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety (PCOMS) has condemned in strongest terms the attack on Hamid Mir, founding member of PCOMS and anchor of Geo News’s Capitol Talk, one of Pakistan’s most popular television talk show.

Hamid Mir had arrived in Karachi from his home in Islamabad and was on way to Geo office when he was fired at near the airport and sustained three bullet injuries, including in his stomach and leg. This is the second attack on Mir, who has been receiving threats by different groups of Taliban as well as intelligence agencies.

The statement by PCOMS said it is very troubling that the assailants knowledge of the travel plans of Mir and were able to shot him in broad daylight and make good their escape without being challenged by police or security agencies of federal and provincial governments.

Even more serious are statements on Geo Television that Hamid Mir had told his family, employers, government officials and army officials that some officials of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), including ISI’s chief Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam had prepared a plan to eliminate him.

A statement issued by PCOMS said the attack on Hamid Mir demonstrated once again government’s callous disregard for the safety of journalists.

PCOMS asked the government to inform the people of Pakistan of the steps that had been taken to ensure the safety of a senior journalist who had informed those in authority of the nature of imminent threats that he faced.

PCOMS, which is an initiave of stakeholders in Pakistan under the umbrella of UN action plan on safety of journalists and impunity issues, called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure a credible and independent inquiry into this yet another brazen attack on senior and respected journalist, so that those responsible are held to account.