Saturday, April 19, 2014

Did ISI order the hit on Hamid Mir?

Whenever the Taliban takes credit for carrying out a spectacular attack it is time to remember the mysterious workings of the world's best secret service.  
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Amir Mir (Hamid Mir's brother) does not mince his words. These folks have nothing to lose and nowhere to hide.
Amir Mir, who is also a journalist told Geo TV that Hamid had told him two weeks back that if anything happens to him then "elements in the ISI and its chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam should be blamed".

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And what has upset the dons so much that led to this murderous assault?
He (Amir Mir) said Hamid told him the intelligence agencies were upset with him for the coverage of the Balochistan issue, Musharraf trial and the political interference by security establishment.
 

A sad song which has been played numerous times (see below). Hamid Mir is reportedly out of danger but the message that was delivered is loud and clear (again). The only peace that is acceptable to the thugs (and their masters) is the peace of the grave.

Does anybody remember Syed Saleem Shahzad? He was about to publish a book detailing the role of the deep state and Al Qaeda concerning the PNS Mehran attack. Wiki excerpts on the events just preceding his torture and death in May 2011.

According to friends and colleagues, the ISI warned the journalist at least three times prior to his death. In October 2010, Shahzad was summoned to ISI headquarters the day after publishing a sensitive article on Abdul Ghani Baradar's capture. Afterwards he wrote to Human Rights Watch (HRW) predicting that he might be detained by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency

According to HRW's Ali Dayan Hasan, he was "fairly sure that sooner or later something was going to happen". Shahzad informed Hasan in an email that he was threatened by an ISI official who had said: "I must give you a favor. We have recently arrested a terrorist and recovered a lot of data, diaries and other material during the interrogation. The terrorist had a list with him. If I find your name in the list, I will certainly let you know." 

Nine days prior to his disappearance, Shahzad met with American journalist Dexter Filkins and told him, "Look, I'm in danger... I've got to get out of Pakistan."
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Senior Pakistani TV journalist Hamid Mir, who faced threats from multiple quarters here including the Taliban, was on Saturday shot at in Karachi by four unidentified gunmen near a bridge on way to his office.

Mir, 47, sustained three bullet injuries on lower part of his body after he was shot at near Natha Khan bridge soon after he left the Karachi airport for his office. He was rushed to hospital where he was operated upon.

Karachi police chief Shahid Hayat said Mir was shot thrice, one bullet piercing his intestine while the other two wounded his leg and pelvic area. He said Mir was "out of danger".

According to the driver of the car, as the car slowed down near the flyover, a gunman on a motorbike opened fire. Without waiting for a second, he pressed on the accelerator. Geo News reported the attackers, who were on a bike and car, followed them.

A popular news anchor, terrorism expert and security analyst, Mir currently hosts political talk show Capital Talk on Geo TV.

In November 2012, a bomb was recovered from under his car which was believed to have been planted by the Pakistani Taliban.

Geo TV reported that Hamid had confided the same to his friends, senior management of the channel, certain officials in the government and even the Army.

"No terrorist organization would know that he was coming to Karachi from Islamabad. Intelligence people are everywhere. Only they would know his movement," Amir said.

He said Hamid told him the intelligence agencies were upset with him for the coverage of the Balochistan issue, Musharraf trial and the political interference by security establishment.

In 2011, when he had faced certain threats, he had blamed the security establishment. Amir said that Hamid had also sent a video statement in this regard to the Committee for Protection of Journalists.

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 Link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/697721/senior-journalist-hamid-mir-attacked-in-karachi/
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regards

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