Silencing Saleem Shahzad
The Express Tribune has reported today that the slain journalist, Saleem Shazad has had his phone records erased. Such a feat is not the work of an ordinary criminal and adds more fuel to the fire that Shahzad was murdered by dark forces within Pakistan’s security establishment namely the ISI
As a reader of Saleem Shahzad’s investigative reports on Asia Times, I mourn his loss he was a journalist par excellence. I particularly mourn his passing for he is one more voice silenced in the endless rising crescendo of screams that is the madness that is modern-day Pakistan.
The ISI remains for me and every other proud Pakistani, a defender of Pakistan. It thus pains me no end to see it being ridiculed for it seems insistent to never learn lessons from its mistakes with the most recent being the alleged murder of Saleem Shahzad.
The chief allegation against the ISI being that they killed Shahzad as they were upset at his most recent Asia Times report shared here in which he alleged links between staff at the Pakistan Navy and Al Qaeda in the recent PNS Mehran attack. The ISI is thus blamed for killing Shahzad so to send a message to other journalists who dare to spread so-called anti-state stories which are often only the other side to a story and at times the truth.
The ISI and the Pakistan Armed Forces must wake up (in Abbottabad and elsewhere) to the fact that journalists like Saleem Shahzad report the news and nothing more. At times such news may be critical, however patriotism does not mean that journalists nor the Pakistani people should turn a blind eye to the mistakes like the Osama fiasco and PNS Mehran which go on to lead to national shame.
Postcript: On a separate note but related to journalism I wish to publicly rescind my glowing support for Ansar Abbasi in one of my old posts titled Saluting Ansar Abbasi (Pakistan’s Robert Fisk) as shared here. I wish to retract my words which were shallow, amateurish and simplistic in nature for Ansar Abbasi is a respected journalist and never a Robert Fisk.
No doubt Mr Arif is correct to condemn the ISI for its role in a despicable act of murder against a journalist, but fairness demands the media too excercises caution in what it decides to put in the public domain. I believe the Saleem Shezad’s article provided further fodder to the enemies of Pakistan and seriously endangered our national security. The right, indeed duty of journalist too shed light on dark spots so that the public is aware of the truth must be balanced against responsibility to not risk the security of our beloved country. I regret Saleem Shehzad and others like him seem oblivious to this responsibility.
↓ Quote | Posted June 8, 2011, 6:43 pm