More importantly, Hamid Mir’s episode is a well-planned conspiracy hatched by the Jang and Geo management itself to malign the institutions of the Pakistan Army and the ISI.
While a great number of people are appreciating our stance, I am also hearing, reading and sensing what is mentionedabove since Hamid Mir’s brother Amir Mir’s disclosure about those nominated by Hamid Mir in his earlier recorded statement as his possible killers. I was getting the vibes of displeasure even before my stance on General Musharraf’s case but after the HM episode and my viewpoint on DG ISI Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, no doubt has been left about my being anti-Pakistan, anti-Islam and what not.
Poor Cheema, Noorani and several others are grilled because they have raised the question about the past wrongdoings of the agencies. We have been condemned unheard and now we should also wait for the bullets from the faceless killers — one by one.
Pakistan has really become a difficult place to live in, and more so for media persons. Our words, our work and our writings everything is distorted to make us look like real monsters and agents of the enemy.
If we talk against a retired dictator and head of a political party, it is deemed an attack on the institution. Without being judgmental on what HM had accused, if we talk about an individual and seek his stepping down and that too for the respect and sanctity of the institution even then we are dubbed as the enemy’s men. An advisor to PPP patron Bilawal Bhutto Zardari viewed my statement as an effort to further the agenda of the Taliban. On this premise, the security forces should be given the right even to kill me and declare me a “terrorist” — no trial, no evidence required.
Umar Cheema, who has already been thrashed allegedly by the agencies, has now become a hard nut to crack. He is a sensitive man, loves Pakistan, follows liberal and secular ideas and at the risk of his own life struggles to make Pakistan prosperous. His latest crime is the outcome of his struggle to make the rich and affluent of this country pay taxes.
But Cheema is such a foolish agent of Pakistan’s enemies that he lives in a rented house and drives a car that he had purchased on depreciated price from the organisation, that too on installments of Rs10,000 per month. After having been beaten black and blue allegedly by the agencies, he did not pick up arms to fight against the state and its institutions but opted to fight for legislated parliamentary check on intelligence agencies.
Ahmad Noorani is an angry young man, who never minces words when it comes to corruption, bad governance and suppression of the underdogs. At times though he becomes upset but his integrity is beyond any doubt. He is so stupid that instead of making a fortune by following the trouble-free tricks and trades of journalism, he too is out to enrage the powerful and the mighty. He drives a real ‘Khatara’ Mehran and believes that he can change Pakistan.
We have no dearth of such fools around in journalism both within our group and outside. Being a member of the industry for the last 24 years let me assure you that everybody in the media is not on sale. They can’t be bought, they can’t be browbeaten. Hamid Mir and the likes of him are the shining stars of our media. You may differ with their views, their style of work and their approach but their love for Pakistan and their services for the people of this country are unmatched.
And it is also true that none of us is an angel. We do make mistakes. If anyone does any wrong, he should be taken to task as per the law of the land. If there is an agent of the enemy amongst us, expose him on the right forum instead of unleashing propaganda through tainted persons both within the media and outside. If the Jang Group has a Jewish connection or it works for RAW or US interests then please bring all the evidence before a court of law. I am constrained to say that such allegations have been levelled against the Jang Group in the past. The Group had moved the courts on these baseless allegations. The courts ought to decide these cases at the earliest because these are very important and subject of discussion at present. These cases are pending in the courts for months. The decision on these cases would bring the facts to fore. Since working with the Jang Group I have seen that whenever the powerful think that this Group does not suit them they start levelling allegations against it. This happens perhaps because this is Pakistan’s biggest and most credible media group.
We have a choice to keep quiet and enjoy our lives without giving a fig about those looting and plundering the nation’s wealth, those playing with the state institutions, those undermining rule of law, those misusing their authority to serve the vested interest, those being kidnapped and declared missing, those wronged by the powerful and mighty.
But we have opted for the tough path where we create faceless enemies, face the anger of the rulers and invite the wrath of the establishment. We create troubles for our families and even endanger our own lives and those of our dear ones. We annoy state actors, non-state actors, the Taliban, criminal gangs, political parties, business tycoons and all sorts of mafias but there is no security for us. Instead we are made more vulnerable when are declared traitors and RAW agents.
These days I am advised by many of those who love and care for me to keep quiet. I tell them I have nothing against anyone, I am not against any institution. I tell them neither Musharraf is an institution nor my views on DG ISI have any disrespect for the ISI or its chief. Instead what I had feared is proving right. I merely expressed my opinion and know well the difference between institutions and individuals. I am told that I am right but still warned that it is not what I think is right but what really matters is how “they” think about you. My dilemma: I have to say what I sincerely believe is in the best interest of the country we created in the name of Islam.
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