Senior journalist Hamid Mir. PHOTO: AFP
On Saturday, April 19, unknown assailants shot at Mir in Karachi, critically injuring him.
Through his first official statement since the attack, Mir claimed that he had recently been approached by intelligence officers who informed him that he was on a hit-list.
He said he is making this statement despite the pressure he is facing from various quarters.
The ISI was upset with me for my coverage of Mama Qadir's Long March, he added.
I had forwarded the numbers from which I previously received death threats to the police, the statement reads, but they did not do anything about it.
Mir also questioned the security forces for not apprehending the culprits who planted a bomb in his vehicle in November 2012, even though Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan took responsibility for the incident.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly noted the date of the attack as April 21. The error is regretted.
COMMENTS (40)
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@ Rex Minor unless you have another version of the Constitution what I said is correct.
It is actually the Feudocracy masquerading as Democracy that is illegal at present Till such time the Elections are validated and the Local Bodies elections are complete Parliament is defunct and incomplete with no legal authority as per the Constitutuon Go check
@Rex Minor: ISI is never the subservient of parliament,national assembly,prime minister and any federal minister and any government can never make ISI its subservient because ISI is a well-established,most trustworthy,reliable and prominent department of Pakistan and civil government is based on corrupt and unable leadership selected by us for few years......
@excalibur
You are mistaken sir, Pakistan does not have a National army but the expeditionary colonial structured force, the Parliament being the only entity in a democracy which is the supreme authority for the constitution and legislation of country's laws.
Rex Minor
Mr Hamid Mir is one of the greatest in journalism, the fearless and bold to risk his life to report and inform the world audience about people and events in the remote corners of Afghanistan Hills.His investigative actions have earned him respect and anger from those about whom he reported and gave his opinion. His family and his country should be proud of him, these kind are rare indeed, one may or may not agree with his opinions. Let no one near him with ill intentions for he has the protection of the angels.
Rex Minor
@ Rex minor
Like the Judiciary , the Army is a Constitutional entity and both are protected from any abuse or insult or defamation by anyone The Parliament is not and neither GEO which is an NGO only
@Aschraful Makhlooq:
What a load of crap? The victim must prove that ISI people threatened him? No sir, it is time that ISI is taken to task by the Parliament and the Supreme court to explain their activities, in camera if necessary, whether they are conform with the country's constitution.
Rex Minor
certainly it is isi's fault, that they shooted on him yet were not able to finish the job. now we will have to watch him again...
@MJ: Sure, but also trail the assets of ISI and military bureaucracy... you would meet more surprises
@Jan Sher: Nothing new because truth remains the same; lies change different faces.
where is the video taped statement of Hamid Mir
His statement now to the media and to the police are contradictory. FIR has self imploded
Lies cannot survive for long Just wait and see
Hamid Mir must be prosecuted and punished for defaming,degrading and disgracing ISI if doesn't prove true his accusations against ISI......
@Shahriyar: Charlie Wilson. Us senetor in 1979.
Keep checking Musharraf status as everyone now focused on Mir.
Just does not sound right...........acting in haste amounts to irresponsible behaviour.
Although I discontinued to watch Capital Talk long ago because of Hamid Mir's way of conducting that program, we should strongly condemn the attack. However, I'll also like to flag an issue related to media. Whenever there is a problem with any media person, it is projected as an act of concealing truth. This seems utter nonsense on the part of media as the media person could be wrong as well. Another issue is related to the screaming in talk shows. Of course, the anchor person (with the exception of few like Nadim Malik and Talat Hussain) screams the most. What message we are sending to general public.
@Ali: wonder which force created taliban in first place????
ET's vendetta against Geo is obvious and shameful.
Those who plunder, blunder and surrender cannot tolerate brave people like Hamid Mir.
Nothing new in his statement except that he did not put blame, like he used to do for every act, on Musharaf.
Post even, Why Mir and his kins failed to register FIR with the authorities boggles my mind. However quite a well thought out statement covering all aspects.
"Mir claimed that he had recently been approached by intelligence officers who informed him that he was on a hit-list."
Mir conveniently leaves his statement incomplete which should have been
"informed him that he was on a hit-list of TTP which ISI intercepted". Yes hit-list of TTP, not ISI. ISI was kind enough to warn him of this threat by TTP, but Geo turned it around to suggest it was DG ISI who ordered the hit
Not worthy of comments
Mir Saheeb, you are one brave sole and this should not be yours-only fight to take. It seems like there is a well-orchestrated campaign in the country to silence the voice of reason and it should not go unchecked. The journalist community is under thread and as such the entire society can suffer the consequences. Everyone, in the society has role and they should not let the country slip into the dark ages.
Mr. Mir himself is the biggest non-state anchor.
Don't know about others but I can't feel sympathy palpable anywhere for Mr Hamid Mir. If anything It has actually become a case of patriots vis-a-vis main-hoon-liberal-cum-stoog.
CORRECTION: Saturday 19th April, not 21st.
Who is able to catch Taliban in this country? The nut job thinks that the Police could have apprehended them for him. The irony is that the only force that can take the Taliban to task is what he thinks is the enemy of the country; the Army.
Which intelligence outfit? IB, ISI, FIA?
What if non-state actors called him and identified themselves as intelligence operatives? Was Hamid Mir able to get positive identification of these people?
A ton of questions remain yet Hamid Mir and Geo chose to shoot from the hip and implicate the ISI without a shred of hard evidence.
"In a statement read out by his brother on Thursday, senior journalist Hamid Mir said that he faced threats from both state and non-state actors, Geo News reported. "
and first whole day his channel accused ONLY head of the ISI.
Tribune should feel ashamed of themselves for such a selective reporting on Hamid Mir. I used to read this news paper a lot, but not anymore. I am out of here.
Saturday was April 19th, not the 21st.
Stop this mir drama and let's move own with our life.
Somebody in NAB should investigate the assets of these so called senior journalists. Just follow the money trail and you will realize where their loyalties lay and who do they really work for.
Note that non state actors are now also included in the Statement. Where is the video recorded statement of Mir ?
ISI have to be stupid to come to him and identify themselves after giving threats !
Why is the written letter of January 31,2014 from the interior ministry being concealed by him which clearly cited threat to his life from TTP He was on top of that list of journalists
Mir's handlers are now in deep hole and caught with their lies
and this year oscar award goes to Hamid Mir and Geo Tv. Mallala missed out but Hamid won't.
You are the only man in Pakistan media, who is standing up for truth and justice. The rest seems to be sold out.
We salute you for your courage!
It is very clear that jang Group's loyalty lies to the east of Pakistan's borders. Don't have to be a genius to see that, just look at their news bulletins, 6 bad things from Pakistan and one good one from across the border in the end!
His hatred for Pakistani armed forces is despicable.
Hamid Mir is a patriotic pakistan. Idiots online and in the Pakistan media are maligning him for standing up for the Baloch's right. Also, there's no place in this world for shutting people up with the use of power.
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it"