I am being 'advised' to leave Pakistan: Hamid Mir

Geo Television anchor Hamid Mir, who had been shot in Karachi on April 19, told BBC Urdu in an interview on Saturday that he is receiving messages which ‘advise’ him to leave Pakistan or face another attack.

A firestorm had been created in the wake of a gun attack on Mir soon after he landed in Karachi when the intelligence arm of the military, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), when his brother unveiled a series of threats from the spy agency. However, Mir insisted on Saturday an “ISI within the ISI” with ties to jihadi groups were behind the April 19 gun attack.

“I am pointing towards the ‘ISI within the ISI’. I have informed my organisation in writing on numerous occasions.”

Mir added that recently in one of his live television programmes he had sought to identify a man who called himself Major Wajahat and was threatening him. “I put out his name, and cell phone number.”

“The most worrying thing is that outfits that have been banned by the government have been staging rallies in the support of ISI.”

The anchor added that he had had a history of receiving threats from all quarters, and that even after being attacked he was being passed on messages through interlocutors which ‘advised’ him to leave the country.

“From various sources I am getting different messages which tell me to leave Karachi, and even leave Pakistan… the fight is long.”

Adding that he was recovering from his injuries, Mir said that some people posed as friends but brought messages from the enemy.

“There are some people who pose as friends but bring me messages from the enemy. They bring messages that there will be another attack on you, leave Pakistan. Just yesterday, someone very responsible visited me and told me that I will be attacked again. People pose as my well-wishers and say that I should leave.”

Asked who were the enemies, Mir said they were the ones who were tracking his movement.

“My attackers are those who track the movement of Pakistani journalists, tap their phones. Only they could know from which flight, at what time will Hamid Mir reach Karachi, and which car will go to pick him, when will they exit the airport and where to attack him where CCTV cameras are not working. Even the Karachi police chief is now admitting CCTV cameras there were not working at the time”

Asked if he was convinced there were groups linked to the ‘ISI within the ISI’, and if he had named them in the FIR of the incident, Mir said that the police had refused to concern themselves beyond the incident itself.

“The police representatives who came to me were creating a drama,” he claimed adding that he gave them the same statement he had released to the media.

“I asked him exactly what you are asking me, and that I have this background of threats but they said they will remain concerned only with the incident.

“They were asking me about the incident and started to film me. I asked them why are you filming me? The officer said they were sorry.”

Mir said that he had to then stop giving the statement. “I then stopped giving them a statement since they were violating the law, that they are asking a victim details of the incident and filming him as well.”

He added that there were groups who had been banned by the government, were staging rallies in support of the ISI. “The most worrying thing is that outfits that have been banned by the government have been staging rallies in the support of ISI.”

“And those who are staging rallies against Hamid Mir and Geo/Jang group and in support of ISI, what does this tell you about their links?”