Posts Tagged ‘Hamid Mir’

Pakistan’s journalists abandoned by the courts

Friday, January 13th, 2012

This week marked a dark day in the history of Pakistani journalism. The last refuge of justice in our country closed the door to the journalist community, and sent a message loud and clear that Pakistan’s journalists have no rights when faced with threats from powerful quarters. We are referring, of course, to the judicial whitewashing of the murder of Saleem Shahzad.

It is ironic that so much has been made lately of Article 19A, the right to information, which should be a shield of protection for journalists in a nation with a supposedly free media, and yet it is apparent that the right to expose who is murdering journalists in this country and why has been set aside for reasons unstated. Rather than exposing the Saleem Shahzad’s killers and sending a message to those who would threaten and kill other journalists, the judicial commission instead found no culprits, only suggested a payment of Rs3 Million to Shahzad’s widow. Now we know the value of a journalist in Pakistan – about the cost of two Corollas.

Writing in The News today, senior journalist and former secretary Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Mazhar Abbas notes that journalists are effectively on our own.

“The authorities are not taking the issue seriously enough, particularly in cases where the “intelligence agencies” come into the equation. Therefore, Pakistani journalists need to fight their own cases with the effective support of their unions.”

This state of affairs has serious consequences not only for the lives of individual journalists, but for the security of the nation itself. Director current affairs at Dunya TV Nasim Zehra on Thursday proposed that “a vibrant media can thwart a coup” by ensuring that,

…the moves of all power players — government, politicians, army, and now the judiciary — are examined for historical precedents, legality, constitutionality, double standards; and whether they are based on individual, institutional, party or national interests.

Unfortuantely, Nasim’s theory is based on a false premise. Media cannot scrutinise the moves of all power players. Yes, Dunya TV will courageously repeat worn out conspiracy theories about Husain Haqqani while he sits behind heavy security, but following the judicial commission’s failure to find anyone responsible for the killing of Saleem Shahzad?

Having seen that a prominent reporter can be killed with no consequences for those involved is sure to have a chilling effect on the profession. Will those who report critically on the military refrain from doing so in the future for fear that they may end up in a ditch somewhere? The commission has also shown Mr Shahzad’s killers, whoever they may be, that they can operate with impunity.

It is not only Saleem Shahzad who has been killed for reporting information that someone did not like. Zahid Qureshi was tortured and mutilated for his reporting. Umar Cheema was kidnapped and tortured when he reported information that upset someone. Kamran Shafi had his family home strafed with gunfire and received threatening phone calls warning him to stop reporting information that some didn’t like. Samaa TV’s Ghulamuddin and his family have been forced into hiding in their own country. Recently, Hamid Mir has received threats for his reporting. Najam Sethi, who has been the subject of what appeared to be a coordinated campaign of harrassment continues to receive threats for his reporting.

Journalists are not powerless, though. We have the ability to ask difficult questions and press for information that most people are unable or unwilling to. While the nation’s attention is planted squarely on the court, we should take the opportunity to ask, “What about Saleem Shahzad?” What about the rights of the people to information that is supposedly so inalienable? Demanding these answers will not only protect the lives of journalists, it will protect the life of the nation. There are murderers among us, and they must be exposed.

میڈیا کا سیاست میں رول

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

اے این پی کے لیڈر زاہد خان صاحب کی کلپ پاکستان میڈیا واچ نے اس لئیے قارین کے سامنے پیش کرنا مناسب سمجھی تاکے میڈیا کا رویہ منظر عام پر لایا جا سکے۔

زاہد خان صاحب چند اہم نکات مییڈیا سے وابستتگی کی بنیاد پر اٹھاتے ھیں۔اور میڈیا کو جانب دار ٹھرایا۔  نیچے دی گئی حامد میر کے شو کیپیٹل ٹاک میں آنے والی کلپ ملاحظہ کیجئیے۔

سینیٹر زاہد خان کی گفتگو آپ نیچے سن سکتے ھیں۔ پاکستان میڈیا واچ کئی بار اسی رؤئے کو سامنے لاچکا ہے اور کئی بار میڈیا کی غیر ذمہدارانہ رپورٹنگ کی ملامت کر چکا ہے۔

 

Threats to Journalists: When Will the Court Take Notice?

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

gunFor the second year in a row, Pakistan has been awarded the dubious title of ‘deadliest nation for journalists’ according to the international organization Committee to Protect Journalists. The most shocking event, obviously, was the brutal murder of Saleem Shahzad, a case that has followed the usual path to a dusty shelf where it will remain unsolved. But Saleem Shahzad was not the only journalist to lose his life in Pakistan. At least six other journalists were killed here – more than both Libya and Iraq. There are countless others who continue their work under constant threat. When will the court take notice?

Actually, the judiciary and journalism share some common traits. Both are intended to be a search for truth – a careful investigation of facts intended to help steer the nation on the right path. At times the work of journalists and judges overlaps as with the recent example of the ‘memogate’ controversy that grew from the claims made in an op-ed that were further publicised by additional news articles. Long before the Supreme Court took notice of the memo, it was a media story.

The most recent development of the memogate saga occurred recently when a British newspaper reported that one overlooked item from Mansoor Ijaz’s claims was that DG ISI Gen Pasha was secretly meeting with Arab leaders in preparation for a coup against the civilian government. ISPR has denied Mansoor Ijaz’s claim, terming the Independent piece “a baseless article”.

While an official denial is to be expected, Geo anchor Hamid Mir who reported on Mansoor Ijaz’s accusation against Gen Pasha reports that he has received death threats for reporting the story.

Dear Friends,

I would like to inform you that I received an SMS message at my blackberry today at 11:47 pm which said “i have not seen a real bastard than you. i wish somebody comes and strip you naked. i hope some Army man has not done real dirty with your dear ones.” This SMS was reaction of my show Capital Talk which was going on at that time on Geo TV in a repeat telecast.

I responded to this SMS and I got another message from the same number again (03335245252). Within few seconds another SMS from 03318175319 declared me a CIA, RAW and MOSSAD agent. I have received these kinds of threatening messages usually from intelligence agencies in the past. When I responded these messages quickly and told them to go court against me they were silent.

These recent threats are related to two recent shows on Geo TV. I discussed a story in The Independent in the UK reported by Omar Warraich on December 14th and raised questions about the political role of DG ISI [Director General of the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate Ahmad Shuja Pasha]. A constitutional petition was filed by [Community Party Chairman] Engineer Jamil Malik on December 19th in the Supreme Court of Pakistan [asking the court to remove Gen. Pasha] and I was included in the petition as one of the respondents. I came to know about this petition in the evening of December 19th. The same evening I discussed the press conference of Baloch leader Attaullah Mengal on my TV show. Mengal criticized Pakistan Army atrocities against Balochis. This show was aired in the evening of December 19th and repeated in the morning of December 20th between 11 and 12.

I am sure that security establishment of Pakistan is once again angry with all those who will raise questions about the political role of Army. If anything bad happens with me or my “dear ones” the security establishment will be responsible.

Hamid Mir

As Pakistan holds the dubious distinction of being ‘deadliest nation for journalists’ two years running, these threats should raise the interest of the Chief Justice as a matter of national interest. But in this most recent case, the issue should be of special interest to the court. The memo case is presently sub judice, which means that any threat against journalists reporting on the case are meant not only to influence journalists, but the outcome of a case also.

Media cannot be considered as independent if it is operating with a gun to its head. Neither can a judiciary be independent if any element is allowed to use threats of violence and death to influence the outcome of a case. How long must Pakistani journalists search for the truth without the protection of the court? And how long will the court allow its own independence to be questioned by ignoring this issue?

پاکستانی میڈیا کا انتشار اور عوام کی جھنجھلاہٹ

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

نیچے دی گئی فیڈ بیک/ رائے پاکستان میڈیا واچ کے ایک معزز ریڈر کی جانب سے بھیجی گئی ھے۔ پاکستان میڈیا واچ اپنے تمام قارین کے بھیجے گئے مضامین اور رائے کا خیر مقدم کرتا ھے۔ اگر آپ پاکستان میڈیا واچ کو اپنی رائے سے آگاہ کرنا چاھتے ھیں تو برائے مہربانی ھمارے ای میل پر ھم سے رجوع کیجیئے۔


میں امریکی شہر اٹلانٹا میں رہائش پزیر ایک بزنس مین ہوں۔ میں آپکا بلاگ کئی سالوں سے پڑھتا آ رہا ہوں  اور آپ کی پاکستانی میڈیا کو ان چیک رکھنے کی کوششوں کا بڑا فین بھی ہوں۔ حال ہی میں میرا عید کےموقع پر پاکستان جانے کا اتفاق ہوا اور میڈیا کی حالت دیکھ کر یقین کیجیئے رونے کا دل کیا۔ میں اپنا یہ آنکھوں دیکھا حال پاکستان میڈیا واچ اور اس بلاگ کے تمام ریڈرز کو بتانا چاہوں گا۔

چونکہ میرا یہ پاکستان کا چکر تقریبن تین سوا تین سال بعد تھا میں میڈیا چینلز کی بے چینی اور غیر ہم آہنگی دیکھ کر حیران ریہ گیا۔ جس چینل کو دیکھو وہ من گھڑت اور سنسنی خیز خبریں رپورٹ کرنے میں لگا ہوا ہے۔ اب چاہے وہ معاملا میمو گیٹ ہو یا این آر او یا ذوالفقار مرزا اور ایم کیو ایم کے متعلق پاکستانی میڈیا کو کہانیاں بناتے اور عوام کو پیش کرتے بالکل دیر نہیں لگتی۔ خبر کے آنے تک اور اس کی تصدیق ہونے تک بات کا بتنگڑ بن چکا ہوتا ہے اور خبر کہیں سے کہیں اور نکل جاتی ہے۔ ٹی وی چینلز پر اینکر حضرات سچائی سے کوسوں دور اپنے ماہرانا تجزیات پیش کرتے ہوئے نظر آتے ہیں اور اپنے خیالات کو سچ یعنی کے فیکٹ قرار دینے لگتے ہیں۔

قارین کا زیادہ وقت لیئے بغیر میں صرف دو مثالیں دوں گا۔ نمبر ایک میرا اتفاق شاہد آفریدی۔ جی ہاں ہمارے مشہور کرکٹر۔ کو حامد میر شو میں سننے کا ہوا۔ آفریدی صاحب اس شو میں اپنا ماہرنا تجزیہ پیش کرنے لگے لیکن کرکٹ نہیں سیاست پر۔ کرکٹ اور سیاست کا لنک مجھے کچھ خاص سمجھ نہیں آسکا اور نا ہی حامد میر صاحب نے سمجھایا۔ نمبر دو مجھے یہ سمجھ نہیں آیا کی کہانیاں گھڑنے سے نیوز چینلز ایسے لگتا ہے خبریں کم اور انٹرٹینمنٹ کی فراہمی کا کاروبار زیادہ کر رہے ہیں۔ چاھے وہ امریکہ میں پاکستانی سفیر کا استعفی ہو ۔ شرجیل میمن اور مرزا صاحب کا لندن کا دورہ  ۔ یا پہر حال ہی میں صدر صاحب کا مرز قلب کے بنا پر دبئ کا دورہ یا نیوز اینکر کی خبر کی فراہمی کا  طنز یہ انداز پاکستانی نیوز میڈیا لگتا ہے پروفیشنلزم نام کی چیز سے بالکل نا واقف ہے۔ایک خبر سے دس مختلف خبریں نکالنا کوئی پاکستانی میڈیا سے سیکھے۔ خبر کو شائع کرنے سے پہلے تصدیق نا کرنے کا رواج میں نے پچھلے چند ہی سالوں میں اوپر آتے دیکھا ہے اور خوفناک بات یہ ہے کہ اس سب کو ان چیک یا روکنے والا کوئی نہیں۔

مختصرن یہ کہ پاکستان سے واپس آنے کےبعد اب مجھے فاکس نیوز پر زیادہ غصہ نہیں آتا اور پاکستانی میڈیا کی اس حالت سے میں کچھ زیادہ پر امید بھی نہی ہوں۔ میں البتہ اپنے ملک کی بگڑتی ہوئ حالت پر لله سے دعاگو ضرور ہوں۔ پاکستان زندہ باد

میڈیا کی عدالت اور حسین حقانی

Sunday, November 20th, 2011

آج کل کے تمام تر ٹی وی کےپروگرامز کو دیکھنے کے بعد یہ اندازہ ھوا کہ ھمارا میڈیا انصاف کے اصولوں سے ناواقف ھے۔ کسی بھی ایک موضوع یا شخص کو ھدف بنا کر اپنی تمام توانائیاں صرف کر دیتے ھیں۔ کچھ اپنے اداروں کے مقاصد حاصل کرنے کی کوشش کرتے ھیں اور کچھ اپنے آقاؤں کو خوش کرنے کی۔ نتیجہ یہ کہ قارئین تزبزب کا شکار رھتے ھیں۔

اب حال ھی میں میموگیٹ سکینڈل کو ھی لے لیں۔ ھر چینل نے بنا کسی تحقیق و تصدیق کے اپنا اپنا اظہار خیال شروع کر دیا۔ اس کے علاوہ اپوزیشن پارٹی کو تو موقع ملنا چاہیے۔ نوٹ کرنے والی بات یہ ھے کہ زیادہ تر کیا سارے ھی چینلز نے پاکستانی سفیر حسین حقانی کا موقف لینے کے بجائے مشکوک کردار کے مالک منصور اعجاز جو کہ ایک امریکی شھریت رکھتے ھیں اور جنہوں نے کئی بار پاکستان اور اسکی افواج کے خلاف منفی  خیالات کا اظہار اور منفی مضامین چھاپے ھیں سے رجوع کرنا زیادہ مناسب سمجھا۔

یہاں پر یہ بات قابل ذکر ھے کہ حامد میر سب سے پہلے اینکر تھے جنہوں نے حسین حقانی سے رابطہ کیا اور ان کا موقف اپنے پروگرام میں پیش کیا۔ اس پروگرام کی کلپ نیچے ملاحظہ کری

Capital Talk Hamid Mir Nov 17 2011

اس کے بعد امریکہ میں موجود پاکستانی سفیر حسین حقانی نے دیگر پروگرامز میں اپنے حوالے سے اٹھائے گئے سوالات کا جواب دیا۔ حیران کن بات یہ ھے کہ اس انٹرویو سے قبل اور اس کے بعد بھی منصور اعجاز مختلف چینلز پر اپنا مقدمہ پیش کرتے رھے اور مزید حیران کن بات یہ ھے کہ ایک امریکن سٹیزن سے رابطہ کرنا زیادہ آسان ھے جو کہ یورپ منتقل ھو چکے ھیں اور ایک پاکستانی سفیر سے زیادہ مشکل جو کہ واشنگٹن میں پاکستانی سفارتخانے میں پائے جاتے ھیں۔ تعجب خیز بات یہ بھی ھے کہ ہر ٹی وی چینلز مختلف قیاس آرائیوں پر مبنی خبریں پیش کرتے رھے مثلا اےآرواے نے کہا کہ پاکستانی سفیر اپنی ڈی سی کی رہائش گاہ سے کہیں اور منتقل ھو چکے ھیں۔ دنیا نے کہا کہ ان کا استعفی صدر کو موصول ھو چکا ھے جبکہ موصوف ایمبیسیڈر نے ابھی تک  استعفی دیا ھی نہیں۔ خواجہ آصف صاحب نے امریکی شہریت رکھنے کا الزام حسین حقانی پر لگایا کیا ان کے پاس ایک عرب روپے ھیں کیونکہ شاید وہ یہ بھول گئے کہ اسی بات پر نوائے وقت نے حال ھی میں پاکستانی سفیر سے معافی مانگی تاکے انہیں ایک عرب روپے کا ہرجانا نا دینا پڑے۔

پاکستانی میڈیا کو ذمہ داری کا ثبوت دیتے ھوئے حقائق پر مبنی تحقیق کے بعد ناظرین کے سامنے صحیح صورت حال کو پیش کرنا چاھئے اور من گھرٹ قیاس آرائیوں سے پرہیز  کرنا چاھئے۔

 

Garaibaan mei jhankna

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Rahimullah Yusufzai, resident editor of The News (Jang Group) in Peshawar, takes a very critical stance of American foreign policy in Afghanistan, saying that US foreign policy is a mess of confusion because the Americans do not actually know Afghanistan as well as they think they do, and this “paucity of knowledge” has resulted in self-defeating strategies that are alienating the people.

In concluding his piece, points to specific proof that the Americans know nothing about Afghanistan.

Before talking to the Taliban and the Haqqanis or taking them head-on with even greater vigour, the US and its allies would need to know more about these groups. As former US and Nato military commander in Afghanistan Gen Stanley McChrystal recently admitted, the US began the Afghan war with a frighteningly simplistic view and still lacked the knowledge to achieve a successful end.

An example of this paucity of knowledge about Afghanistan was on display recently when a picture of the late Afghan mujahideen leader Maulvi Yunis Khalis standing with President Ronald Reagan at the White House in the 1980s was mentioned as that of Jalaluddin Haqqani, who had never visited the US.

Only problem, this error was made not by the American media, but by Pakistani media, including Jang Group’s own Geo TV.

While Rahimullah Yusufzai may be correct “knowing thy enemy should be the first principle for the US prior to undertaking any new step towards making war or pursuing peace”, he accidentally suggests that perhaps we should be taking a look at ourselves also.

Humain pehlay he patta tha…

Monday, August 15th, 2011

By now you will certainly have seen the leaked clips of Amir Liaquat’s profanity laced ranting. If you are like us and you decided to turn off the computer and spend independence day with your family (good for you), Cafe Pyala still has the clip available, and we have embedded it below. But this post is not just about Aamir Liaquat, it’s about the state of journalism more generally.

In his defence, Aamir Liaquat responded on Twitter claiming that “It was a fake video, created and dubbed professionally”.

We decided to comment only because Aamir Liaquat’s reaction to the video leak gave us a dizzying sense of deja vu. We could have sworn that we had already written about this same event. Then we realised that we had. It was the same excuse given when tapes of Hamid Mir terming Khalid Khawaja as CIA collaborator in a phone call with Taliban. Then the memories of two-faced media came flooding back. A few months after Hamid Mir’s scandal, it was revealed that TV anchors agreed to declare Dr Aafia as innocent, even though when the cameras were turned off, they pronounced her guilty.

This was around the same time that Talat Hussain scribbled his vicious attack against Angelina Jolie – in Urdu, of course, away from liberal English-medium eyes. And, of course, it was the same year that we saw Meher Bokhari drinking at private parties only to piously read fatwas against others when the cameras were turned on.

This year, the schizophrenic, hypocritical nature of media has become more exposed than ever when national media groups used the language divide to sell different interpretations of the death of Osama, the most bald faced and shameless coming from Express News.

According to Aamir Liaquat, the video of his obscene ranting is “disgusting conspiracy spread by those who do not want to promote Ishq-e-Rasool (saww)”. This is a perfect example of the incredible egos of our media elite. At least Hamid Mir had the basic decency to claim it was a conspiracy against media, not the Prophet. This scandal is about Aamir Liaquat’s own hypocrisy, trying to make it about religion in order to save his skin is just digging the hole even deeper.

When the video leaked, we heard no expressions of shock or surprise because there was no shock or surprise. Each person who saw it laughed a bit, then shrugged and said, “Mujhay pehlay he patta tha”. We need professional journalists and honest analysts who can explain to the people the days events so that we can make our own decisions about the issues that affect our nation. Ever so humble, Aamir Liaquat describes himself as “truly a legend of this modern age…whose name becomes synonymous with truthfulness and bravery in the field of journalism”. We don’t know who the media elite thinks they’re fooling, but if they think we’re buying their act, then truly they are only fooling themselves.

Daily Jang Terms Ilyas Kashmiri ‘Patriot’

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

The News (Jang Group)An article in Daily Jang provide an interesting look at how Jang Group characterises jihadis in Urdu publications. The articles describe the jihadi leader Ilyas Kashmiri who is believed to have been killed recently in a drone strike.

You will please recall that a sympathetic piece was published in Daily Jang following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Now let us look at another profile in the same newspaper. Abid Shah interviews Ilyas Kashmiri’s brother for an article titled, lyas Kashmiri Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan aur Azadi-e-Kashmir kay liye masroof raha, bhai Chaudhry Asghar.

Ilyas Kashmiri profile of Daily Jang

According to Jang Group reporter Mazhar Tufail “there are clear signs of the involvement of Ilyas Kashmiri group in the terrorism incident at the naval base, PNS Mehran” as well as GHQ. The reporter wrote that “Ilyas Kashmiri group has been playing an important role in planning attacks on Pakistan’s defence system and institutions”. In Jang Group‘s English newspaper, Hamid Mir terms Ilyas Kashmiri as “one of the most dangerous threats for the security of not only Pakistan but the whole of South Asia”.

So why then does Jang Group follow these reports by going to Kashmiri’s village to ask his family for their opinion? What could the editors expect except for a sympathetic report?

The question must be asked why is Jang Group projecting militants who attack the nation’s defence as pro-Pakistan? As the nation continues to suffer terrorist attacks, a major media group is characterising a jihadi leader as “patriot of the highest degree”.

One possibility is that Jang Group is projecting extremism and anti-Americanism as a cynical strategy to sell newspapers. According to a recently revealed Wikileaks document, this has been an admitted scheme of Jang Group employees.

12. The problem of reporting rumor, innuendo, and unsubstantiated allegations is bad enough when limited to the distribution numbers of “Jang” daily or “The News.” However, it is when these stories are amplified by the “GEO TV Network” that the truly negative influence expands to substantial numbers. And all of this by their own admission is calculated to maintain or increase their market share.

13. On a recent visit to “GEO TV Network” offices in Karachi, our IO had a conversation putting all of this into context. “GEO” sees its behavior as win-win with sensationalism and hate speech generating ratings and any attempt by authorities to rein it in allowing them to exploit their circumstance by claiming censorship.;

The question must be asked, is Jang Group publishing these articles out of ideological sympathy for terrorists, or are they projecting extremism and hate speech as a scheme make money? The people have the right to know.

Hamid Mir’s Latest Source Admits Making Whole Thing Up

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

On Wednesday’s Capital Talk, Hamid Mir showed an interview with an unnamed source who claimed to have first-hand knowledge of infiltrators who helped militants attacks PNS Mehran last month. You can see the clip below starting at the 6-minute mark.

The source, speaking through his tears, makes wild claims about not only infiltrators in the military but plans to attack an American airline also. His claims don’t make any sense, but rather than ask questions that might help determine if he is telling the truth, Hamid Mir suggests how the source might change his story to make it more believable. He actually helps his source invent his story while he’s speaking!

When the show cuts back, Hamid Mir pleads for protection for the young man implying that as thin as his sources story is, we should believe it.

Actually, we shouldn’t believe it. In less than two days, the source appeared on Waqt TV saying he made the whole thing up to get revenge over a love dispute.

Hamid Mir Source Muhammad Junaid

The man who made sensational claims about the PNS Mehran base attack has turned out to be a disparate lover who fabricated the story just to revenge his failure in marrying a sister of an army man. Muhammad Junaid in an interview with Waqt News confessed that he had nothing to do with the Karachi naval base attack. “I am not a witness to it and totally unaware of the facts about it,” he said.

This is a classic example of unprofessionalism and poor reporting. Rather than investigate and ask tough questions to get to the bottom of the story, Hamid Mir appears to help the young man with his lies. Despite the fact that the man presented no evidence, Hamid Mir accepts his story without question and broadcasts the interview on television even requesting security for the man.

Muhammad Junaid claims that he made the whole thing up to get revenge in a love dispute. What is Hamid Mir’s excuse?

Crazy Talk Hamid Mir Aur Ansar Abbasi Kay Saath

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Hamid Mir hosts 'Crazy Talk'

On Crazy Talk last night, Hamid Mir and Ansar Abbasi put on an incredible show. And by ‘incredible’ I mean, of course, without a shred of credibility. Also, though, I mean incredibly funny.

Earlier in the day, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif issued a statement on the raid in Abbottabad. According to Hamid Mir, Nawaz’s speech revealed groundbreaking stuff that you would not believe. According to Hamid Mir this incredible groundbreaking stuff was that drones are being flown from within Pakistan. As if this is somehow news. According to Hamid Mir, though, this is proof that government itself is responsible for all the deaths that Gilani mentioned in his own speech.

What’s missing from this groundbreaking news? Any mention of Army or ISI. It is as if Nawaz claimed that drones are being flown from PM House in Islamabad and not an Army base in Jacobabad. But Pakistan has an Army. Pakistan has intelligence agencies. So why does Hamid Mir tells his audience that Nawaz Sharif has put this responsibility for drones on the civilian government?

Of course, Hamid Mir did notice Nawaz’s statements critical of the military later in the show. But rather than criticise Mian Nawaz, Hamid Mir also says “Kuch logon ka ye bhi khayal hai ke “ Nawaz Shareef nay darasal haqeeqat mei wohi batain kari hain jo ke saddar Zardari Sahab Chahtay thay kyonkay wo bhi ander say yehi chahty hain ke fauji qayadat kay khilaf inquiry commision ki baat ho”. (Some people also think that in actuality, these statements reflect what President Zardari wanted because from inside, he also wants talks about inquiry commission against the army leadership) . This incredible fact became even more incredible when Ansar Abbasi stated that he also hears the same voices in Hamid Mir’s head and confirmed Hamid Sahib’s statement that there is a secret faction of Zardari cronies in Islamabad who are cursing the military and trying to weaken Pakistan’s security services.

First of all Mr. Hamid Mir, can you please explain who these “kuch log” (some people) are? I mean I would really like to find out who said this because I know that you didn’t just make these people up, right? Secondly, are you saying that these critical statements were put into the speech by people in the government? Of course, this makes perfect sense now. I’m sure the government’s media advisers worked furiously to finish the opposition leader’s speech in time for his press conference.

In the mind of Hamid Mir, everything Nawaz Sharif said about Pakistan cooperating with drones is evidence against the civilian government, not the military. And anything that could possibly be considered as critical of the military is evidence against the civilian government also because they hypnotized Nawaz and made him say these things. These mind control magicians are, of course, “close to Zardari”. Again, this makes perfect sense. Asif Zardari is always using his mind control magicians to convince the media to say such sweet things about him!

Ansar Abbasi then offers his own helpful advice: Any inquiry should be independent, but should also avoid giving any points to our enemies. And who are Pakistan’s enemies? According to Ansar Abbasi, number one enemy is America and number two enemy is India. No mention of the people who have killed tens of thousands of Pakistanis with bomb attacks. In some ways, this makes sense. There are plenty of awami lives to spare, but very few general’s egos.

Ansar Abbasi continues to say that there are people in foreign capitals who tell him and his colleagues to write against the Army and ISI to push the agenda of Washington. This is when Hamid Mir cuts him off and says “Aur gandi galiyan deitay hian- Gandi galiyan deitay hian! Asif Zardari kay qareebi saathi fauji leadership ko gandi galiyan deitay hain leikin public kay samnay kuch aur kehtay hain” (And they use abusive language! They use abusive language! Asif Zardari’s close aides use abusive language for Army leadership but say something else in front of the public). Really? So are you saying Mr. Hamid Mir that you are such good friends with Zardari and his inner circle that you know what they say when they’re not in front of public? And you can see that with such authority because you hang out with them and chill on weekends discussing all of this over chai biscuits and samosas?

And finally, when one of the guests Haider Abbas Rizvi mentions that when 9/11, London bombings and Madrid bombings happened, no body asked for resignations of their intelligence heads, Hamid Mir cut him off and mentioned that there is a difference that in 9/11 terrorists entered US and that helicopters from another country did not enter airspace. Even though he later admitted that there was a security breach, my question for Hamid Mir is: Are organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, or the Haqqani network and their allies not working diligently to kill innocent civilians? Have they not claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Pakistanis? Are they not in our country uninvited? The answer to all these questions is yes, but then why is Hamid Mir so hesitant on calling these terrorists organisations out for what they really are? Why is Hamid Mir forgetting that a bigger breach of sovereignty was carried out by these terrorists plaguing our nation?

At the end of the episode, I felt exhausted. Partly I was tired from laughing and partly it was from the mental gymnastics that were required to bend logic into such contortions necessary to understand what Hamid Mir and Ansar Abbasi were trying to say. One thing is certain, whether or not Nawaz gets his enquiry, no one will be any wiser for listening to this type of Crazy Talk.