LAHORE:
With the news of the execution of Ajmal Kasab spreading like wildfire, members of the local and foreign media went into frenzy and arrived at his native village to get reactions from those who knew of him. But the residents were in no mood to comply.
Residents of Faridkot village, three kilometres away from Deepalpur Tehsil in Okara District, Punjab were infuriated when some cameramen and photographers tried to shoot footage and take pictures of the locality. They snatched a cameraman’s camera and chased away the journalists.
Ghulam Mustafa Wattoo, the former Nazim of the local Union Council, instructed the journalists not to approach the villagers for their comments or take pictures without his permission.
Suddenly, a person said to be Kasab’s brother fell unconscious and the journalists and cameramen tried to capture the incident. But the locals chased them away before they could record the incident.
They later established barriers and pickets on the road leading to the village from the main Deepalpur-Hujra Shah Muqeem Road.
Wattoo said the media tried to defame his village. He added that they have no links with Kasab and claimed that he was in fact not a resident of Faridkot.
A heavy contingent of police and intelligence agencies’ officials also reached the village immediately after his execution became public.
Rai Bashir Ahmed, a resident of the village, told The Express Tribune, “Ajmal Kasab was never a resident of this village and we do not know this man.” He stated that some elements tried to defame the village’s reputation by spreading false stories when Kasab was arrested.
While clarifying the attack on media personnel by the local residents, Ahmed said that they were unaware of the atmosphere and the culture of the village and started interviewing and capturing videos of the villagers without their permission.
Reactions
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) expressed “shock” over the execution of Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) said he was a hero and would “inspire” more attacks.
“There is no doubt that it is very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters.
A senior LeT commander told Reuters by telephone, “He was a hero and will inspire other fighters to follow his path.”
(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS)
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (25)
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This could be a good study in mass hysteria. That is what w are suffering from.
@Aftab Baloch who writes "HINDU REGIME because they are their own creation. HINDU REGIME in return is sub-servant to its foreign masters."
I hope you are not referring to the Rashtrakutas or the Vijayanagara empire.
If you are talking about Indian government, it is a secular government and not Hindu regime.
However the most ironic part of your comment is when you say the govt. is subservient to foreign master. By foreign master if you mean USA, a few weeks back when America announced bounty on Hafiz Saeed, you Pakistais said USA is pleasing India.
Make up your mind, who is the master and who is the servant.
@Aftab Baloch: and your mental patient
@Jawad U Rehman: Why on earth does Tribune and other papers give so much space to TTP
I tell you why? Go on the top of the newspaper's page and read what it says? It says," The Express Tribune, with the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE'. Find out who owns "INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE'? TTP & Kasab are both allies to HINDU REGIME because they are their own creation. HINDU REGIME in return is sub-servant to its foreign masters.I think you got the picture now..
Taliban, when come to power, may one day rename FARIDKOT to KASABKOT.
when will we stop thinking of india as the enemy? when will we start trying to build good ties instead?
@jkhan: How disgusting- she would feel differently if her children had died in the bombing.
@Rana..You area asking too much from the amateurs. A kid should learn to crawl before he learns to walk.
@Jawad U Rehman: "Why on earth does Tribune and other papers give so much space to TTP spokespersons? Won’t it be better to never quote them directly, and to limit their access to our print/electronic media?" The statement reflects a tendency to avoid unpleasant situations. Why should we fear to face the mirror of the society?. Hard realities are to be accepted , faced and solutions explored.
Media should be oriented, why did they go in that village without theirpermission, no one can have pictures, information without consensus does media not have this sense in Pakistan?
Kasab's aunt:
"Even if he did something wrong, I am proud that he taught the enemy a lesson in their own country".
And it is still claimed in certain quarters that Kasav is not a Pakistani. The following link says it all.
http://dawn.com/2012/11/22/the-unending-faridkot-mystery/
Shhhh, Tribune, Kasab was not a Pakistani. Obviously these people were advised to deny his roots being amongst them. Amazing story and pictures. The true story here is anything but Kasab.
You had a prominent tv anchor yesterday say that the trial was questionable etc etc - and that India though a signatory to the UN resolution banning capital punishment (not true) went ahead and executed kasab. And then he quoted what Pakistanis love to quote about Hindus - saying something about bagal mein churi and mooh pey Ram Ram.
Wow - kasab just carried a gun and killed people in mumbai - but the latent hatred of India that arm-chair pundits nurse is simply breathtaking - and it is based on folk lore their equally misinformed parents and grandparents have told them.
Surely it is time the tv anchors rise above the level of Kasab's aunt who was happy her nephew killed the enemy in the enemy's territory.
A very wrong heading indeed... the heading should be "Journalist meddling stirs hostility in a village".
At first, journalists decided to make faridkot the village of Kasab and now they went there again... the villagers would be really irked... you come to my house and start shooting it and me without my permission... I will hit you too if you don't listen and oblige to stop.
I wish our Media may act sensibly according to a strict SOP by giving preference to national interest & integrity than sensation. Western media and in some extent even Indian media most of the times avoid calling a spade a spade!! Uuuhhh, our media is getting pathetic with the passage of time!
he deserved it I don't know why India took so much time hope Pakistan learn from India and start hanging terrorists caught by law enforcement agencies in thousands. We need Mass Executions only then there is a hope of peace. Go by shariah eye for an eye, life for life.
Last word of Kasab was “Allah kasam aisi galati dobara nahi hogi, Allah muze maaf kare”, it means he was feeling very much guilty for killing the innocent people (including some muslims) by the name of state. Other terrorists should learn something from last word of their hero “Kasab”.
How can a journalist take picture of anyone without his/her consent???
"A heavy contingent of police and intelligence agencies’ officials also reached the village immediately after his execution became public". Yes, that is where the intelligence agencies belong, as for other terrorists killing Pakistanis all over the country, they give a damn.
Shame on you Media by promoting their own country image down
Whats the reason for mentioning a Taliban post in this report???
can v send all the LET nd TTps to india so thay can b hanged coz our judiciary has failed 2 hang dem..had v hanged dem earlier 166 indians would have nt died.take dem as humans nd imagine if u wuld have lost a family member in an incident lyk ds ..hw wuld u feel.. ask frm ppl who have lost family members coz of talibans............
Why on earth does Tribune and other papers give so much space to TTP spokespersons? Won't it be better to never quote them directly, and to limit their access to our print/electronic media?