But he was messaging for another reason. He says he is concerned because he received a new round of threats and denunciations related to his plans to attend an upcoming conference in Bangladesh of journalists, hosted by the Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo. Under discussion will be the incidents of 1971, when Bangladesh began its break away from Pakistan, leading to a vicious and bloody secessionist war.

Mir angered his own government when, on November 5 in the Urdu-language Daily Jang newspaper he encouraged Pakistan to issue an official apology to Bangladesh over atrocities of 1971. That re-opened a wound from last year when, while in Bangladesh, he identified the “main culprits,” as he put it, of the bloodbath as a group of Pakistani army officers. “I never spoke against the Pakistan Army, I only mentioned the names of some books written by Pakistan Army officers who confessed atrocities,” Mir said in this weekend’s email message.

“A few hours after my visit to the Bangladesh High Commission some mysterious people dropped CDs containing hate material against me in offices of different newspapers. Many people started tweeting against me and saying ‘Hamid Mir is enemy of Pakistan and agent of Bangladesh,’” he wrote. The CDs contained archival footage of past programs in which he was critical of the government and the military’s policies in Bangladesh.

His concerns for his safety are not overwrought. Remember, this is a man who was targeted for death eight months ago because of his outspoken views. While Mir was still hospitalized, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif established a three-member judicial commission which was supposed to release its report on the murder attempt within three weeks. Six months have passed since that deadline, and there is no report.

The motive for the April shooting remains unclear, but it seems likely to have been linked to Mir’s criticism of Pakistani policy in Baluchistan province, the region bordering Iran and Afghanistan in the west. At the time, he had been critical of the disappearances of Baloch political activists, hitting the issue frequently on his TV programs. A battle between insurgents and counter-insurgents has been waging in Baluchistan for years, and it is playing out in ugly incidents perpetrated by many sides to the conflict.

The result of the April murder attempt: The very outspoken Mir admits to dialing back his on-air rhetorical tone: “I am very careful these days in TV shows, but even then I am getting threatening messages and facing another hate campaign.” For Mir, and his associates, there seems little recourse but to publicize this recent round of accusations in the hope that the publicity will head off another serious attack.

Committee to protect journalists

“The recognition of Mr Khan is a symbol of the struggle for the right to information and a reminder to the international community about the tragic conditions Pakistan has been suffering since the war on terror began following the 9/11 attacks,” said RMNP president Ehsan Ahmed Sehar in an address to journalists and local dignitaries, says a press release on Thursday.

Malik Mumtaz Khan, 48, was based in Miranshah, North Waziristan, in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata) when he was shot dead on 27th February, 2013. Malik Mumtaz was on his way home when he was gunned down by unidentified men waiting in a vehicle with tinted windows, the kind widely used by militants in the region.

Malik Mumtaz was associated with Khyber Television, Geo News and Jang Group of Newspapers and had over 20 years experience in journalism. He was also president of the Miranshah Press Club. Colleagues reported that he had received a number of threats prior to his murder, yet no group has so far claimed responsibility for his death. He leaves behind a widow, two sons and a daughter.

Recognising Malik Mumtaz Khan’s courage and dedication to the profession, an award of Rs60,000 was presented to his son Mohammad Suleman Khan, who revealed that despite promises from the Pakistani authorities his father’s killers had not been brought to justice and his family was still awaiting compensation.

The News

KARACHI: The Jamhoor meeting held at the Karachi Press Club strongly condemned the recent attack on Geo TV in Islamabad and demanded of the government to protect journalists and media houses.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Secretary General Khursheed Abbasi, while presiding over the meeting, said all the political parties should ask their workers not to attack the media persons and media houses, as they discharge their duties under the official coverage assigned to them by their offices.

The parties should refrain from doing such illegal acts, or would face serious repercussions, he added.Members of different parties, speaking on the occasion, said they firmly believed in the supremacy of the Constitution and law. They stressed that the democratic process in the country should not be derailed.

Abbasi said a huge rally, attended by print and electronic media members, will be taken out from the Karachi Press Club very soon to express solidarity with Geo TV.The rally will stage a Dharna in front of the Sindh Assembly building and demand of the government that Geo should be provided complete protection. Those responsible for blocking Geo TV would be requested that people wanted awareness and information, and the largest TV channel — Geo — was facing various kind of hurdles.

The News

At its executive council meeting on Thursday, KUJ President G. M. Jamali, General Secretary Wajid Raza Isfahani and Vice President Zaheer Ahmed Khan expressed solidarity with the Palestinians and offered prayers for the civilian casualties in Gaza, as well as of journalists who lost their lives during the siege.

The meeting decided to start work, as soon as possible, on the proposed apartment complex for journalists.

DAWN

An official of the Khuzdar administration said on Monday that the club’s office-bearers had decided to close the facility after receiving threats over the past two weeks. He said journalists associated with different media groups had stopped working.

He said media personnel had started receiving threats after two members of the minority Hindu community disclosed at a press conference names of some people allegedly involved in kidnapping of the community members.

They were kidnapped in Khuzdar last month and released upon payment of ransom.

He said unidentified people called many reporters, some of them office-bearers of the press club, and warned them against publishing the names of those identified by the Hindu families.

The official said the press club would remain closed for 10 days.

This is the second time in the past two years that the Khuzdar Press Club has been closed because of threats to media personnel from unidentified groups.

A senior journalist told this correspondent from Khuzdar that the journalist community of the city was feeling insecure and that there was no other option but to close the press club.

At least 12 journalists, including a president and a general secretary of the Khuzdar Press Club, have been killed over the past six years.

Reporters Without Borders, an international organisation, two years ago declared Khuzdar as the most dangerous place on earth for journalists.

DAWN

Several professionals agreed that different media houses should work together to tackle this problem before it worsens. They were speaking at a consultative meeting with journalists and citizen groups on ‘Building Coalition for Legal Framework to Combat Impunity of Journalists’ Killings’ organised by NGO Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (Irada) at Mehran Hotel on Wednesday.

“The state actors were active in the 1980s but now non-state actors, such as banned outfits, are the most active and issue hit-lists of journalists of different organisations,” pointed out journalist Ovais Tohid. He stressed on training reporters, cameramen and photographers who work in conflict zones.

Tohid was of the view that self-regulation within organisations is very important. “The code of ethics and the code of conduct should be made.” Most of the journalists who receive threats contact different journalists’ organisations instead of approaching their own media houses, he said regretfully.

“The role of the media is very important in a democratic set-up and it is a high time to initiate self-regulation,” endorsed Karachi Bar Association president Salahuddin Ahmad. “We are at a loss and have become victims as well,” he said.

Ahmad said that about 40 lawyers have been killed in the last four years in targeted attacks and there is an urgent need for different media persons and lawyers to unite and demand security.

“We need to be united on the issue of safety and security of journalists,” said Owais Aslam Ali, the secretary general of the Pakistan Press Foundation. The divisions within the journalist community will not create a favourable environment, he said. Ali pointed out that there is not a single body where a journalist who receives any sorts of threat can lodge a complaint.

The participants said that working journalists should support each other in case of serious threats. “Journalists in Pakistan receive various kinds of threats,” said Irada’s Lala Hassan.

Express Tribune

‘A bullet has been chosen for you’: Attacks on journalists in Pakistan, describes how the Pakistani authorities have almost completely failed to stem human rights abuses against media workers or to bring those responsible to account.

Amnesty International has documented 34 cases of journalists being killed in Pakistan in response to their work since the restoration of democratic rule in 2008, but only in one case have the perpetrators been brought to justice.

But these killings are just the most brutal statistic – many more journalists have been threatened, harassed, abducted, tortured or escaped assassination attempts in the same period.

“Pakistan’s media community is effectively under siege. Journalists, in particular those covering national security issues or human rights, are targeted from all sides in a disturbing pattern of abuses carried out to silence their reporting,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia-Pacific Director.
“The constant threat puts journalists in an impossible position, where virtually any sensitive story leaves them at risk of violence from one side or another.”

The report is based on extensive field research into over 70 cases and interviews with over 100 media workers in Pakistan. It examines several recent cases where journalists have been targeted for their reporting by a range of actors.

Numerous journalists interviewed by Amnesty International complained of harassment or attacks by individuals they claimed were connected to the feared military spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). While some are featured in the report with names changed, others could not be included even under a false name because they feared for their lives.

The spy agency has been implicated in several abductions, torture and killings of journalists, but no serving ISI officials has ever been held to account – allowing it to effectively operate beyond the reach of the law. Human rights violations against journalists by the ISI often follow a familiar pattern that starts with threatening phone calls and escalates into abductions, torture and other ill-treatment, and in some cases killings.

Journalists are also victims of human rights abuses by non-state groups across the country. Aggressive competition for media space means that powerful political actors across the country put severe pressure on journalists for favourable coverage. In Karachi, supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) religious group and others stand accused of harassing or killing journalists they consider critical.

In conflict-ridden regions in the northwest and Balochistan province, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and ethnic Baloch armed groups openly threaten reporters with death and attack them in retaliation for seeking to highlight their abuses or not promoting their ideology. Journalists in Pakistan’s heartland of the Punjab have also faced threats from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi-linked groups.

Despite the wave of violence and attacks, the Pakistani authorities have largely failed to hold perpetrators to account. In the overwhelming number of cases researched by Amnesty International, authorities rarely adequately investigated threats or attacks or brought those responsible to justice.
Only in a handful of high-profile cases have more thorough investigations been carried out, and only after public outrage has made it impossible for authorities not to act.

“The government has promised to improve the dire situation for journalists, including by establishing a public prosecutor tasked with investigating attacks against journalists. But few concrete steps have been taken,” said David Griffiths.

“A critical step will be for Pakistan to investigate its own military and intelligence agencies and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations against journalists are brought to justice. This will send a powerful signal to those who target journalists that they no longer have free reign.”

Media enterprises operating in Pakistan must also ensure they provide adequate training, support and assistance to journalists, in an important, practical step towards addressing the risk of abuses while they are at work.

“Without these urgent steps, Pakistan’s media could be intimidated into silence. The climate of fear has already had a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the broader struggle to expose human rights abuses across Pakistan,” said David Griffiths.

Amnesty International

The commission comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Iqbal Hameedur Rahman and Ejaz Afzal conducted the in-camera proceedings at the Karachi Registry of the Supreme Court.

Those who attended the proceedings included director general of Rangers, DG Intelligence Bureau, provincial police chief, Karachi police chief, joint director of IB, the DIG and SSO of police East Zone, DIG of special branch police, SSP of traffic and the area SHO.

IGP Iqbal Mahmood was said to have filed certain reports regarding the CCTV cameras on the Sharea Faisal and geo-fencing.

Informed sources told Dawn that the statements of Hamid Mir, his driver and guard were also submitted before the commission that would resume proceedings on Tuesday.

DAWN

Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed a single-judge bench, was hearing the application filed by accused Mohammad Hashim, seeking speedy trial of the case.

The 38-year-old Pearl was abducted in Karachi on January 23, 2002, while he was working on a story about Islamist militants. Later, he was decapitated by his captors.

Omer Saeed Sheikh, who masterminded the murder, was sentenced to death, while Salman Saqib Shaikh, Fahad Naseem and Mohammad Adil were sentenced to a 25-year jail term in 2002. But the court had shown seven other accused, including Hashim, as absconders.

Hashim was arrested on Sept 6, 2005.

Applicant’s counsel Syed Mehmood Alam Rizvi submitted before the court that Hashim had been behind bars since his arrest, while the trial court had examined eight prosecution witnesses so far.

He said the trial of the accused could not proceed further as the presiding officer of ATC Hyderabad, Javed Alam, had been transferred and the newly-posted presiding officer of ATC Abdul Ghafoor Memon had already refused to hear the case when he was presiding officer of the ATC-II, Karachi.

He said the applicant was suffering due to inordinate delay in conclusion of the trial and had become ill.

The counsel argued that such delay in proceedings was a gross violation of anti-terrorism laws.

He requested the court to transfer the case to any ATC in Karachi and issue directives for its early disposal. The hearing was adjourned till May 19.—PPI

DAWN

ISLAMABAD: The attempted assassination of one of Pakistan’s best-known journalists demands purposeful action at all levels of government, law, police and community – and revived Commonwealth and international action, said Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) in a statement released Thursday.

It said: “It’s time for all authority to say “Stop. We’re sick of this. And we won’t take it any more.”This weekend Geo TV anchor Hamid Mir was shot and seriously injured when his car was ambushed in Karachi. That alone deserves decisive action.

Hospital doctors said major surgery has made his condition stable. That, at least is one blessing. But Mir is just the latest in a wave of attacks against the profession – in Pakistan and far beyond.

Pakistani journalists have paraded in protest, but sincere as their passions are, it’s not enough. A special judicial commission is being assembled to bring the attackers to justice – and finally, it is hoped, to address the impunity associated with these repeated brutal, fear-building, society-wrecking crimes.

The impunity enjoyed by the criminals and killers is a Commonwealth-wide issue, varying only in degree of horror and disgrace. There should be attention to that in every country where this news is heard.

In the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed its alarm at the pattern of brutality directed at those in the media. In Britain and Canada the Commonwealth Journalists Associations have echoed their horror. But civic voices are not enough. It’s time for hard meaningful action to stop this festering of civilization. It needs top down treatment.

The brutal, threatening and too often deadly treatment of journalists, compounded by intemperate religious rifts, is intensifying with devastating dangers to democracy and more specifically, to innocent citizens. It is time to stop it.

Many Commonwealth journalists – too many of our own in nations claiming to be democracies – are forced to do their vital work in savage circumstances. Disappearances, assassinations, crippling injuries, arbitrary arrests, anonymous thuggery and indefinite imprisonment occur too often without rebuff.

Subtler media silencers focus on “action” against journalists’ family members, or applied destitution. In any of its many forms this must be challenged with vigour by enlightened politicians in government, their civil servants, police systems and legal communities. All must be held accountable, be they perpetrators, promoters or excusers turning a blind eye.

Failure to address this grievous shortcoming of civilization demands exposure, censure and punishment of individual perpetrators and those empowering them in government. Continued perpetuation by venal elements at higher levels in Commonwealth governments should draw censure from the Commonwealth Secretariat and invite serious consequences. After fair examination, corrective action should range through severance of aid at corporate and/or national levels, suspension of Commonwealth membership or, in extremis, national expulsion, in the absence of verifiable remedy. The world should be ashamed in the face of this injustice and impunity.

The News