Speculation that Pakistan’s military spy agency ISI had a hand in the death of a prominent journalist has further discredited the organisation already facing one of its worst crises after the killing of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.
Saleem Shahzad, who worked for Hong-Kong based Asia Times Online and Italian news agency Adnkronos International, disappeared from Islamabad on Sunday and his body was found in a canal with what police said were torture marks.
Suspicions immediately fell on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, bringing more bad publicity after the killing of bin Laden by U.S. special forces near the capital. The raid, which Pakistan failed to detect or stop, shattered the myth that the agency is omnipotent.
“The ISI’s image had already been tarnished and it is under so much pressure,” said a former ISI officer. “It’s never been as bad as this before.”
Shahzad was investigating suspected links between the military and al Qaeda, a highly sensitive subject at a time when USA is wondering how bin Laden was able to live for years in a town about a two hour drive from ISI headquarters.
The military denies any collusion with al Qaeda.
Human Rights Watch said Shahzad, a 40-year-old father of three, had voiced concerns about his safety after receiving threatening telephone calls from the ISI and was under surveillance since 2010.
ISI officials were not available for comment. Analysts have not ruled out the possibility that he may have been killed by militants. Shahzad often wrote about al Qaeda and other groups.
Over the years Pakistan has endured one dictatorship after another. All through this time was a period of press advice and very heavy censorship. With every subsequent dictatorship people have become increasingly defiant, rebellious and very suspicious about the military and the government.. Nothing can change this. The military has never tolerated dissent, considered Pakistan a regiment not a country. The people are independent and free and can say anything they like and as they like – though the constitution of Pakistan does not allow freedom of expression. The people will see things and tell the world. The priorities of the military are completely different from the rights and privileges of the people. They are not soldiers and they are not half as paranoid as the generals are.
The generals have threatened journalists before and many have been killed – but those things were never known because reporting about such things was not permitted. Now everyone suspects the military and the ‘mysterious agencies’ having a hand in this. General Zia had given too many tasks to our security apparatus – not only was it responsible for national security – it was censor and control anything which did not represent Pakistan or Islam. This made the security apparatus the jack(ass) of all trades and master of none. The intelligence failure in the beginning of May then the attack on Mehran base are indication that these no one knows what is happening. The destruction of the CID building in Karachi earlier this year is also a sign of this. The military damned if it drops all censorship and allows the press to report and investigate everything and damned if it resorts to killing and threatening reports. The people of Pakistan do not trust the military.
russianroullete2:
The only successful institution in Pakistan is military. They are the only authority in Pakistan!
So, if the military considers "Pakistan a regiment not a country" then Pakistan is a regiment not a country.
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