ISI | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) | Page 6

Pakistan Press Foundation

Taking on the ISI

Pakistan Press Foundation

When a bomb was found under Hamid Mir’s car a few weeks ago, I thought it was a message that would never become a reality. Unfortunately, I was wrong and Hamid Mir was right. He lies in a bed today, weak and injured, struggling to survive the assassination attempt. After the attack, there is no […]


Hamid Mir received e-mail threats like slain reporter

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The veiled threat received by Geo News anchor Hamid Mir from an intelligence agency’s officials has striking similarities with the e-mail warning received by the slainjournalist Saleem Shahzad prior to his kidnapping and ultimate death. In his first formal statement from the hospital bed on Thursday, Hamid Mir said a few days ago, officials […]


Geo asked to tone down broadcast

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has once again asked Geo TV to tone down its transmission and respect the country’s defence institutions, sources told The Express Tribune on Thursday. The media watchdog on Thursday held a detailed discussion over the defence ministry’s complaint against Geo TV for making serious allegations against the […]


Threats were from state, non-state actors: Hamid Mir

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir has said that he stands for national sovereignty, supremacy of rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression, and his voice could not be silenced. Hamir Mir issued his first official statement on Thursday after regaining consciousness. In his statement, Hamid Mir thanked the Pakistani people and said […]


Government moves to cancel license of country’s largest television network

Pakistan Press Foundation

In the aftermath of allegations and counter allegations following the April 19 attempted murder of popular anchor Hamid Mir, Pakistan government sought to ban the country’s largest television channel on the complaint initiated by the country’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. On April 22, 2014 the federal Ministry of Defence filed a reference with Pakistan […]


ISI and media infighting

Pakistan Press Foundation

IN the bizarre, whiplash-inducing fallout of the Hamid Mir shooting, an alarming new twist has occurred: the Ministry of Defence — really, the army/ISI leadership — has petitioned Pemra to cancel the TV licence of Geo News while also calling for action against the Jang group’s flagship newspapers under the defamation and press laws of […]


Government-army-media triangle

Pakistan Press Foundation

The Ministry of Defence has on Tuesday sought the revocation of the licence of a private TV channel over the Hamid Mir affair by moving a complaint to the National Electronic Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). It may be recalled that after the prominent journalist was shot in Karachi on Saturday, his TV channel broadcast his brother […]


Commission didn’t exonerate ISI of murder allegations

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission on Saleem Shahzad case had recommended the accountability of intelligence agencies through legislation noting that currently the ‘legal and organisational foundations of the two major agencies (ISI and IB) rest on mere executive orders.’ The commission stressed on ‘an urgent need for laying down a comprehensive statutory framework’ for them. Terming […]


Army men used to criticise ISI but faced no treason charges

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Though many media men and journalists are out to prove that Hamid Mir, Geo and Jang Group are traitors merely because Hamid Mir had alleged before the attack on him that he will be attacked by the ISI chief and some other ISI individuals, there are countless examples where regular army officials, even a […]


Geo, The News, Jang blocked illegally in cantonments

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Geo TV has been blacked out in all cantonment areas and hawkers are not being allowed to distribute daily Jang and The News to subscribers. It appears as if the ghost of General Ziaul Haq is still haunting the freedom of the press like it had done during the worst dictatorship during the late […]


Pemra issues notice to Geo

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The Geo TV management on Wednesday received a show cause notice from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (Pemra) wherein it had been asked to immediately stop airing any content in violation of the Pemra rules. In the notice, the Pemra directed chief executive officer (CEO) of Geo News to appear before it for […]


Closure of any newspaper, channel not acceptable: CPNE

Pakistan Press Foundation

LAHORE: The Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) in its emergent meeting held at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal in Lahore unanimously declared that closure of any media house or cancellation of licence or declaration of any channel or publication will not be acceptable as it is not in the national interest. Any such action will be tantamount […]


The Hamid Mir case: ‘In Pakistan, they used to censor journalists – now they shoot us’

Pakistan Press Foundation

On Saturday in Karachi, one of Pakistan’s most famous journalists survived being shot six times. Soon after, the TV news channel he works for blamed the feared Inter-Services Intelligence agency for the attack. Author Mohammed Hanif reports on a fourth estate under siege More than a hundred bouquets line the lobby of the private ward […]


A war of words

Pakistan Press Foundation

The extremely tragic assassination attempt on Hamid Mir is the worst demonstration of how forces within the country are trying to stifle freedom of speech. What is equally disturbing is that Geo and Hamid’s family members immediately reacted by accusing the involvement of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in it. Although discretion demanded that even if […]