Pakistani journalist Mir “took off his air” after the military blast Media News

Islamabad, Pakistan – Famous Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir was taken off the air a few days ago to speak out against the country’s military and protest against the attack on another journalist.

Mir told Al Jazeera that he would not be scheduled to host “Capital Talk” on Geo News as of Monday evening.

“Only the geo management told me I wasn’t going to organize the show,” Mir said.

“They said there is a lot of pressure [after the statements at the protest last week]. They didn’t say where he came from. “

In determining the reason for the move, Geo News management confirmed to Al Jazeera that Mir had been taken off the air and that he would not organize the show.

Informed sources told Al Jazeera that Geo News “has been under pressure [Mir]”.

Last week, independent Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor was known for his criticism of the country’s government and military. attacked he was beaten by three unidentified men in his Islamabad home and warned of his work.

Speaking in protest of the bombing in Islamabad on Friday, Mirre threatened to identify those responsible for the pity of the latest attacks on Pakistani journalists. He used various terms that indicated the involvement of the Pakistani military and appointed the head of the Pakistani army Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“If you’re attacking our homes, well, we can’t get into your homes because you have tanks and guns, but we can make things public, things inside your home,” Mire said in protest, involving the military.

In 2014, shortly after Mire survived the shooting of unidentified assailants, he organized an episode of his program that focused on alleged human rights violations in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

“The space is shrinking completely. Actually, I would say it’s coming to an end. You are not even allowed to express yourself while on the service, ”said Iqbal Khattak, a representative of Pakistan’s Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and leader of the Freedom Network media rights group, in response to Mir getting off the air.

“I think we were right that the state and the government are putting pressure on the independence of certain media publishers.”

Khattak said the threats against journalists were aimed at those who critically accused the government and the military.

“Journalists who are critical of government policies are under pressure, and those who are saying ‘everything is fine’ have no problem with safety and security.”

ISI involvement

Toor, who was attacked on Wednesday, said in a police report that one of his attackers identified himself as Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), the country’s main intelligence agency.

On Saturday, the Pakistani government said the accusation was “a well-thought-out conspiracy”.

The Pakistani military has ruled the country directly for about half of its 74-year history, and critics say it continues to control many aspects of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.

2019an, an Al Jazeera research they found that journalists, editors and directors of news organizations across the country reported that their work was being censored by the government and the military using their financial resources.

In July 2020, the famous TV news Matiullah Jan they kidnapped him Outside schools in Islamabad. Jane said the unidentified assailants were blindfolded, glued, tied up and arrested for 12 hours in custody.

In April, senior journalist Absar Alam was shot in the abdomen while walking in Islamabad. Alam survived the attack by seeing a lone assailant fleeing the scene in security camera footage.

No arrests have been made in either case.

In January, the BBC had to stop issuing a daily blue bulletin due to “interference” in its editorial content.

The BBC has stopped broadcasting Urdu news bulletins through Pakistan’s AAJ television.
For details: https://t.co/57FQWSWtR5 pic.twitter.com/10TQkhNtJx

– BBC News Urdu (BCBBCUrdu) January 15, 2021

“The Pakistani media, which has a long tradition of being very lively, has become a priority target for the” deep state “of the country, a euphemism for the military and ISI … and their significant level of control over the civilian executive.” says RSF, the guardian of media rights.

“The impact of this military ‘establishment’ that cannot withstand independent journalism has increased tremendously since Imran Khan became prime minister in July 2018.”

Pakistan ranks ninth in the Committee to Protect the Global Journalism Impunity Index, with at least 15 unresolved journalists killed.

In 2021, the country ranked 145th out of 180 in the RSF World Press Freedom Index.

The government denies being involved in attacks on journalists or press censorship, and Khan Khan has repeatedly said that he claims that the Pakistani media is independent.

Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry did not respond to a request for comment on Al Jazeera, but last week denied that there was any press censorship in the country, accusing journalists of making claims to “immigrate” to other countries.