Smear campaign against ISI: Geo’s act was planned, calculated, say experts

Say the apology published by the media outlet does not sound like an apology.

Defence analyst Brigadier (retd) Imran Malik on Monday said Geo’s vilification campaign against the ISI chief was based on an agenda and was done deliberately.

Speaking in Express News show Baat Say Baat, he said Geo’s apology did not look like an apology and was published to strengthen its case. “It is a sort of clarification, implying that whatever we did was not wrong,” he said.

He said if they had realised their mistake they should have apologised as publicly as they had defamed the ISI chief. He said the picture of an intelligence agency was never displayed like this anywhere in the world as the ISI chief was not a public figure.

“Now it seems that Geo and the government are standing opposite to the ISI and the army,” he said.

Malik said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should have played the role of a judge in the whole controversy. “However, he tried to create a division between the people and the army. But today people and the army are closer to each other than before,” he claimed.

Senior analyst Ayaz Khan said the content passed off by Geo as apology would not help it in getting away with it. “The attitude adopted by Geo after April 19 is visible to all. It does not show any realisation of mistake,” he said.

He said the timing of the ‘apology’ was very significant. “Pemra officials were scheduled to meet on Tuesday (today) to discuss the reference filed by the ministry of defence against Geo,” he said.

He said Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, who is very close to the PM, was standing by Geo from day one.

“Imran Khan has alleged that Geo’s owner Mir Shakilur Rehman had himself ordered to show the picture of the ISI chief,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2014.