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Syed Saleem Shahzad. — AP Photo
KARCHI: Hameed Haroon, president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, has sharply reacted to the denial by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) regarding its involvement in the abduction and murder of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad. The ISI has denied any role in the murder and termed the allegation of Human Right’s Watch (HRW) as “baseless”.
Haroon, also the chief executive officer of Dawn, has confirmed that the slain journalist had received threatening messages from ISI on at least three occasions. The deceased had not only informed his employer, Asia Time Online, but also confided in Haroon and other friends.
Following is the full text of his statement, released to the media on June 2, 2011.
“It has come to my notice that a spokesman of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) while speaking to the official national news agency in Islamabad yesterday has questioned the “baseless allegations” leveled by Human Rights Watch on the basis of an E mail from Saleem Shahzad, the Bureau Chief of the Hong Kong based Asia Times Online, in their possession . Mr Shahzad was murdered three days ago near Islamabad after being abducted by unknown persons.
“I wish to state on record that the e mail in the possession of Mr Ali Dayan, the monitor for Human Rights Watch (HRW) stationed in ,Lahore Pakistan, is indeed one of the three identical E mails sent by Mr Shahzad to HRW , his employers (Asia Times Online) and to his former employer, myself . I also wish to verify that allegations levied by HRW at the Inter services Intelligence (ISI) are essentially in complete consonance with the contents of the slain journalists E mail “
“In their denial issued Wednesday an anonymous spokesman from the ISI has questioned the “baseless allegation” leveled against ISI by Mr Dayan of HRW. I wish to state on the record for the information of the officers involved in investigating journalist Saleem Shahzad’s gruesome murder that the late journalist confided to me and several others that he had received death threats from various officers of the ISI on at least three occasions in the past five years. Whatever the substance of these allegations , they form an integral part of Mr Shahzad’s last testimony. Mr Shahzad’s purpose in transmitting this information to three concerned colleagues in the media ,was not to defame the ISI but to avert a possible fulfillment of what he clearly perceived to be a death threat. The last threat which I refer to was recorded by Mr Shahzad by e mail with me, tersely phrased as “for the record”, at precisely 4.11 am on October18,2010, wherein he recounted the details of his meetings at the ISI headquarters in Islamabad between the Director General- Media Wing (ISI) Rear- Admiral Adnan Nazir, with the Deputy Director General of the Media Wing, Commodore Khalid Pervaiz, also being present on the occasion.
The ostensible agenda for this meeting was the subject of Mr Shahzads’s story of Asia Times Online with respect to the Pakistan government freeing of senior Afghan Taliban commander, Mullah Baraadar. Mr Shahzad informed the senior officials that he story was leaked by an intelligence channel in Pakistan, and confirmed thereafter by the ” most credible Taliban s source” . The senior officials present suggested to Mr Shahzad that he officially deny the story, which he refused to do, terming the official’s demand as “impractical”
The senior intelligence official was “curious” to identify the source of Mr Shahzad’s story claiming it to be a “shame” that such a leak should occur from the offices of a high profile intelligence service. Mr Shahzad additionally stated that the Rear -Admiral offered him some information, ostensibly “as a favour ” in the following words : ” We have recently arrested a terrorist and have recovered a lot of data, diaries and other materials during the interrogation. The terrorist had a hit list with him. If I find your name on the list I will certainly let you know.”
Mr Shahzad subsequently confirmed to me in a conversation that he not only interpreted this conversation as a veiled threat to his person. He also informed me that he let an official from the ISI know soon thereafter that he intended share the content of this threat with his colleagues ..
As President of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and as head of Pakistan’s leading media group I consider the security of journalists to be of paramount importance. At present the APNS has officially committed itself to the creation of a national body for the investigations of serious threats to the lives of journalists, a body which the Committee to Protect the Journalists in New York, and other leading organizations in the Pakistani press and human rights bodies have promised to lend vigorous support to. Pakistan has one of the high rates in the world for journalists’ killings and such an environment is inimical to the functioning of democracy. The government and the intelligence agencies should take the investigation into Mr Shahzad’s murder seriously and examine his last testimony closely.
Whether the Oct 18th incident itself or his last article in the Asia Times Online, that alleged Al-Qaeda penetration of the security curtain for Pakistani Naval establishment in Karachi hastened his murder is for the official investigation to uncover. And nobody not even the ISI should be above the law”.
Hameed Haroon
President
All Pakistan Newspapers Society
As long as Pakistanis are unjust with each other, they will suffer in every way or form. Pakistanis are the problem of Pakistan. Fix yourself, things will start working out,…. But I don't think pakistanis can or will change for the better….they like to learn the hard way. …..and I always thought pakistanis are smart …
Shahzad was kidnapped in the full busy day light evening's peak time in the most secured capital of Pakistan and this type of bravery can only be shown by someone very powerful and above the law type individuals.
so every pakistani can easily guess that which class in Pakistan is most and wildy powerful and have absolutely no value for law, constitution and poor Pakistanis???
Can ISI explain why they had called Syed Saleem Shahzad in their headquarter in october 2010 and carried out that investigation?
If it is not the militants then it is the state.Anyway the people are being mindlessly terrorized.Such a situation is definitely not favourable for a return to good governance and faith in institutions.
This is also truly sad for the young family and the kids.
Hope they achieve what their father wished for them and are sponsored to get settled abroad and obtain good education.
Unless and untill the Pakistanis are able to put a civilian as the head of ISI, these sort of things will keep happening. Gen. Pasha, or anybody else in the Army for that matter, is not trained for espionage. Army commanders always look for the final outcome and do not mcuh bother about the modus operandi. Pakistan is in serious trouble on multiple fronts because of ISI not being under a seasoned beurocrat.
Well done Mr. Hameed Haroon.
Your father the late Saeed Haroon was loved among the local, old communities of Karachi.
Thanks for speaking out. I hope you will also speak out against the extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
There's something disturbing about his death I haven't seen mentioned.
The fact he was tortured to death implies some odd things. When you torture someone, you're trying to gain information so just as long as they haven't talked, they should be kept alive. But, for someone to give up that information… Well, I'll say ahead of time that I do not believe he would give it. But, if someone were to give it up they would either be released or killed. However, killed in that instance means a direct action with that purpose. Not something gradual over a span of time.
That says something about who it was that killed him. The way he died is not the outcome of a normal human being's mind at work. No matter how corrupt an agency is, they would shy away from it getting that bad. Many wouldn't be able to stomach the process of acting it out regardless of the reason.
That says one of the people who took part in it was more likely than not, sick in the head from a mental health stand point.
So you have someone who is sick in the head who holds a position of some form of authority. I've also seen some say that he's not the first to be found with such injuries.
Putting that all together, the ones who did it are probably the exact same ones who did those previous ones. I'd bet anything if you follow the trails of all those known, it will lead you not to just an agency, but a single person in the agency who has the authority to order the abduction with subordinates who obey out of fear, not the aspect of a higher rank. He would also have to have a fair amount of history in the agency to feel comfortable enough to do it without a care.
Maybe it's not the agency as a whole the investigation should target, but a single person in that agency and in turn the case would be built against the agency without their ability to deny and ignore it.
Shehzad's was a real jihad – for truth , and he is a real "shaheed"
How can i contribute to the family of Saleem Shahzad.
I feel bad for his 3 kids and his wife
My hats off to Mr. Hameed Haroon for writing this brave and courageous article, specially, in the atmosphere of threats of harm being turned in to real murder.
Till the Pakistani Army and ISI are brought under effective civilain control; Pakistan will lurch from one crisis to another non-stop. And some day, one may prove one-too-many and fatal to the nation.
Mr.H.Haroon's statement seems more trustworthy and therefore must be taken in to account in investigation.
By what authority does the ISI detain people? Who gives them the right to call Pakistanis to the headquarters or anywhere else? We need a clear statement from the ISI about who they have arrested in the past and under what law.
Mr Haroon,
The Journalist community needs you to continue guiding it through these turbulent times and a little discretion will not hurt.
Army failed to stop USA forces to Osama and ISI failed in tracing OSAMA. But they are brave enough to kill innocent people and try to kill the sound of truth.