By: Jamshed Ahmed Khan
“Don’t try to become a journalist. It’s a dangerous profession in Pakistan,” my late father said this to me three decades ago when I was still a college student. These are the words of Pakistan’s one of leading journalists Hamid Mir. He was shot by gunmen on his way to office from Karachi airport. According to hospital sources, Hamid Mir is out of danger now. On the other hand Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan’s Punjab chapter claimed the responsibility of attack on a senior journalist.
Just a few weeks back he wrote articles regarding threats to his life, he clearly mentioned that his life in danger by the Militants and also Pakistan’s prime spy agency ISI. If we analyze the reasons of threats to him from both sides we come to several points. !
Possible threats from Spy Agency ISI.!
- Hamid Mir stands against the Military and secret agencies role in Baluchistan and killing of civilians.
- He always criticized the ISI for missing persons and extra-judicial killing of them.
- His strong and committed stand on the treason trial of the former military chief and dictator Pervez Musharraf.
- He doubted on the life threats to Pervez Musharraf from Taliban; he reported and suggested all such threats had been orchestrated by intelligence agencies.
Threats from Taliban militants
- His strong and ethical support for Malala Yousafzai when she was shot by the Taliban. He supported her and stood against Taliban.
- He criticized Taliban clearly in his TV talk show and also in his articles.
- He challenged Taliban for their interpreted so-called Islamic Sharia.
According to all these points clearly, he was and perhaps his life is still under threats from both sides. After he got injured in attack his
brother allegedly blamed Pakistan’s premier spy agency ISI, but on the other side Pakistan military strongly condemned attack on Hamid Mir and rejected the allegation of Hamid Mir’s brother, Military position became more clear when Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan’s Punjab chapter claimed the responsibility of the attack on Hamid Mir. Taliban group spread a message onTwitterr and said in their message that Mir was targeted for his support to Malala yousafzai and his secular agenda.
Hamid mir is not the only journalist who became the victim of attacks on freedom of speech in Pakistan. It is 3rd attack on main stream journalists during one month; the 1st attack was on Raza rumi a sionr journalist and 2nd attack was on Jamshed bghwan in Peshawar.
Pakistan is one of the deadliest countries for journalists. According to the data, fact and evidence reported by Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) and other organizations, journalists in Pakistan are in threats from the non-state actors (terrorists and ethnic groups), and secret agencies, all of them always have their drawn lines if any journalists cross those lines, such groups and organization declare that journalist as their enemy NO 1, all these points and indications are towards an environment not just allowing freedom of speech but clearly on eliminating any difference of opinion.
Pakistan’s current government recently approved a notorious law Pakistan protection ordinance (PPO) but they have plane to come up with a law to protect journalists and their freedom of speech. There is only way in Pakistan to stop journalists from writing and speaking the truth and that is to eliminate and persecute them, but fact of the matter is that no one can eliminate the truth and freedom of speech, the journey will go on.
(Jamshedkhan047@gmail.com)