Editorial

For the sake of the truth

Since the 2002 abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl, 15 Pakistani journalists have died because of their work.

Editorial July 06, 2011

A rather alarming news report in The New York Times (NYT) suggests that there is significant evidence linking the ISI with the brutal death of journalist Saleem Shahzad. Immediately after Shahzad’s body was found dumped in a canal, the ISI had firmly denied any role in the affair. But since then, the ugly insinuations have failed to fade away. The representative of the New York-based Human Rights Watch had made public an email from Shahzad, which said that he faced a threat from the agencies. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society chief had endorsed the authenticity of the contents of the mail.

There may yet be a great deal we do not know about the affair. It is hard to say how authentic the NYT report is. The allegations also add to the strain already facing Pakistan and the US. The pressure on authorities continues to mount steadily. The media watchdog body, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has demanded that the president of Pakistan give an explanation as to the role of agencies in the intimidation of journalists. The CPJ, also headquartered in New York, has also stated that since the 2002 abduction and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, 15 Pakistani journalists have died because of their work. They include men like Hayatullah Khan, whose body was found in North Waziristan in June 2006, six months after he ‘disappeared’. Agencies were accused of being behind the murder.

As the CPJ points out, all 15 cases of murder remain unsolved. This is unacceptable. It can only pave the way for other deaths as horrendous as those of Shahzad’s. What is needed is an independent investigation into the case, so that the truth can emerge and rumours laid to rest. This is all the more vital given that the ISI has been accused in a matter that has potentially grave implications, reaching well beyond the tragic death of a single journalist. The case has created many waves, and these will not die out till we have creditable answers to all the questions that continue to come up.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (3)

SW | 12 years ago | Reply Well, the US would be one of the most likely to be able to know whether or not the ISI did it. Everyone enjoys their CIA conspiracies. The nature of their goals would require them to pay close attention to the ISI at all times. It's not like they're good at being discreet. They're always getting found out. They simply feel that a claim of "we didn't do it" and never talking about it is enough. But, it happens all the time. They're either idiots or liars. Their short and direct claims of innocence supports it. If they were innocent and accused of such a thing they would bring out the proof to gain the support they had been losing. Nobody with a brain would pass that chance up if they were in the process of trying to get the citizens behind them. Instead, they deny it and treat it in the way someone would if the details of it were detrimental to the support of the audience of would-be/former supporters. Like it's classified and only addressing as little as possible with the possibility of compromising future similar actions. Any government agency with doubts cast upon them would do what they could to lessen that. There would also be no harm to them if they were innocent when they did it as not being involved also means there's nothing there, no matter how small, that could harm the establishment. It could only harm the accusers.

vasan | 12 years ago | Reply "What is needed is an independent investigation into the case," There is neither independence nor investigation of any high or low profile cases of murder or terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Starting from the most recent, even BB's case was referred to UN and the report was shelved . This culture of removing the evidences (remember washing down the site of BBs muder) for forensic analysis and letting time kill the cases go back right upto Liaquat ali khan's murder. The police and investigation departments in Pakistan are toothless, spineless, powerless and everything less. Pakistanis have no hope of finding the bottom of these cases. The suo motto actions of the judiciary are only sound and light shows for media consumption

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