Sanity must prevail

Hold judgment till Enquiry Commission’s report

The Senate adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the attack on Hamid Mir while urging the government to take steps to protect the journalists. Similar resolutions were passed in the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa assemblies as well. To bring things in perspective, or maybe searching for a semblance of balance, most senators meanwhile deplored the ‘ISI bashing’ that was resorted to by some sections of the media immediately after the attack. In yet another development, on Monday on the federal government’s request, the Supreme Court appointed a three-member commission to probe the incident. This should put an end to the ongoing smear campaign in the media that has degenerated into mudslinging on all and sundry. Hopefully within a few days Hamid Mir would be in a position to record his statement.

A day after the prime minister visited Agha Khan Hospital to meet the media anchorperson, who is by now out of danger, the COAS was at the ISI Headquarters where he praised the sacrifices rendered by the ISI personnel for the defence of the country and commended the performance of the intelligence organization. The visit may have been scheduled earlier to brief the army chief on the prevailing security situation but in view of the ongoing debate the visit is likely to be interpreted as an unqualified assertion of confidence in the organization by the COAS.

While the ISI has rendered sacrifices for the defence of the country, its past is by no means without blemish. Investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad too had reportedly complained of being threatened by the ISI before he was assassinated. That said, there are numerous groups of killers attacking the media persons these days. In that milieu, only a proper enquiry can establish who indeed was involved in the attack on Hamid Mir.

People expect a lot from the powerful enquiry commission comprising three judges of the apex court. There is a perception that Pakistan has a competent intelligence network with state of the art gadgetry at its disposal and is quite capable of resolve mysteries such as the present case if it really goes for it. One hopes Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would fulfill the promise to make the report public. The enquiry report should lead to better oversight and appropriate control over the ISI so that the image of the institution is in the future not damaged by the kind of sordid episodes that have occurred in the past. Meanwhile all stakeholders should help to put out the fire lighted by the controversy, instead of adding fuel to it.