#SENIOR JOURNALIST HAMID MIR

[media-zoon]

MediaZoon: “The biggest difference between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif's case? "The court verdict will be a great deal”.

MediaZoon: “The biggest difference between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif’s case? “The court verdict will be a great deal”.

Islamabad (Mediazoon): Senior journalist and prominent Ankara Parsa Hamid Mir said that the PML-N already says that the courts did not make a fair-based decision in the Panama case.

If Imran Khan escapes now, he will say that the courts have taken different views in these cases, although there is a difference between heaven in both cases.

Talking to private news channel Geo News, he said Imran…

[theechudar]

Did ex-Pakistan army chief Bajwa pursue backdoor diplomacy channels with India? | India News

Did ex-Pakistan army chief Bajwa pursue backdoor diplomacy channels with India? | India News

NEW DELHI: Senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has made startling revelations about the existence of backdoor diplomacy channels between New Delhi and Islamabad during Qamar Javed Bajwa‘s tenure as Pakistan army chief.In his article in the Pakistani daily Jang, Mir claimed that Bajwa kept the then Imran Khan-led government in the dark even as the military establishment held secret talks with…

[seekhlopakistan]

In custody of NAB Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman , whose older brother reached the hospital in a life-threatening illness? KARACHI: Senior journalist and anchor Person Hamid Mir says Mir Javed-ur-Rehman, brother of Jang Geo Group owner Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, has reached the hospital due to cancer.

[technologyinfosec]

Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif suffers heart attack at Lahore hospital

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif suffered a heart attack at Services Hospital in Lahore, a senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir claimed on Saturday. "Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif suffered heart attack in Services Hospital Lahore doctors saying he survived this heart attack but feeling weakness," Mir said in a tweet. Geo News reported that the former Prime Minister's health had deteriorated since he was rushed to Services Hospital earlier this week with critically low platelet count in his blood. The Pakistan based media outlet stated that after transfusion, his platelet count returned to normal. However, it dropped again later in the day. Sharif was again injected with platelets and has since been under treatment. On Friday, Lahore High Court had granted bail to Sharif on medical grounds, in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. According to the court order, the Former Premier will have to submit two surety bonds worth PKR 10 million for release in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, Dawn had reported. On Thursday, the health of the jailed leader, who was hospitalised after being diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia, was reported to be improving. Read the full article

[shoukatali]

After taking diplomats and journalists to AJK, ISPR chief challenges India to do same in IoK

After taking diplomats and journalists to AJK, ISPR chief challenges India to do same in IoK

Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Major-General Asif Ghafoor on Tuesday said that Pakistan has challenged the Indian government to take diplomats and journalists to Indian-occupied Kashmir.

The ISPR chief made the statement while talking to Geo News in an exclusive interview conducted by senior journalist Hamid Mir. Mir had accompanied Ghafoor on a tour of the LoC earlier today.

S…

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/india-and-pakistan-how-the-war-was-fought-in-tv-studios/

India and Pakistan: How the war was fought in TV studios

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption An Indian man watches the news broadcasting images of the released Indian pilot

As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a deadly suicide attack last month, there was another battle being played out on the airwaves. Television stations in both countries were accused of sensationalism and partiality. But how far did they take it? The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi and Secunder Kermani in Islamabad take a look.

It was drama that was almost made for television.

The relationship between India and Pakistan – tense at the best of times – came to a head on 26 February when India announced it had launched airstrikes on militant camps in Pakistan’s Balakot region as “retaliation” for a suicide attack that had killed 40 troops in Indian-administered Kashmir almost two weeks earlier.

A day later, on 27 February, Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet and captured its pilot.

Abhinandan Varthaman was freed as a “peace gesture”, and Pakistan PM Imran Khan warned that neither country could afford a miscalculation, with a nuclear arsenal on each side.

Suddenly people were hooked, India’s TV journalists included.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Indian PM Narendra Modi is accused of exploiting India-Pakistan hostilities for political gain

So were they more patriots than journalists?

Rajini Vaidyanathan: Indian television networks showed no restraint when it came to their breathless coverage of the story. Rolling news was at fever pitch.

The coverage often fell into jingoism and nationalism, with headlines such as “Pakistan teaches India a lesson”, “Dastardly Pakistan”, and “Stay Calm and Back India” prominently displayed on screens.

Some reporters and commentators called for India to use missiles and strike back. One reporter in south India hosted an entire segment dressed in combat fatigues, holding a toy gun.

And while I was reporting on the return of the Indian pilot at the international border between the two countries in the northern city of Amritsar, I saw a woman getting an Indian flag painted on her cheek. “I’m a journalist too,” she said, as she smiled at me in slight embarrassment.

Print journalist Salil Tripathi wrote a scathing critique of the way reporters in both India and Pakistan covered the events, arguing they had lost all sense of impartiality and perspective. “Not one of the fulminating television-news anchors exhibited the criticality demanded of their profession,” she said.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionIndia and Pakistan’s ‘war-mongering’ media

Secunder Kermani: Shortly after shooting down at least one Indian plane last week, the Pakistani military held a press conference.

As it ended, the journalists there began chanting “Pakistan Zindabad” (Long Live Pakistan). It wasn’t the only example of “journalistic patriotism” during the recent crisis.

Two anchors from private channel 92 News donned military uniforms as they presented the news – though other Pakistani journalists criticised their decision.

But on the whole, while Indian TV presenters angrily demanded military action, journalists in Pakistan were more restrained, with many mocking what they called the “war mongering and hysteria” across the border.

In response to Indian media reports about farmers refusing to export tomatoes to Pakistan anymore for instance, one popular presenter tweeted about a “Tomatical strike” – a reference to Indian claims they carried out a “surgical strike” in 2016 during another period of conflict between the countries.

Media analyst Adnan Rehmat noted that while the Pakistani media did play a “peace monger as opposed to a warmonger” role, in doing so, it was following the lead of Pakistani officials who warned against the risks of escalation, which “served as a cue for the media.”

What were they reporting?

Rajini Vaidyanathan: As TV networks furiously broadcast bulletins from makeshift “war rooms” complete with virtual reality missiles, questions were raised not just about the reporters but what they were reporting.

Indian channels were quick to swallow the government version of events, rather than question or challenge it, said Shailaja Bajpai, media editor at The Print. “The media has stopped asking any kind of legitimate questions, by and large,” she said. “There’s no pretence of objectiveness.”

In recent years in fact, a handful of commentators have complained about the lack of critical questioning in the Indian media.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Indians celebrated news of the strikes

“For some in the Indian press corps the very thought of challenging the ‘official version’ of events is the equivalent of being anti-national”, said Ms Bajpai. “We know there have been intelligence lapses but nobody is questioning that.”

Senior defence and science reporter Pallava Bagla agreed. “The first casualty in a war is always factual information. Sometimes nationalistic fervour can make facts fade away,” he said.

This critique isn’t unique to India, or even this period in time. During the 2003 Iraq war, western journalists embedded with their country’s militaries were also, on many occasions, simply reporting the official narrative.

Secunder Kermani: In Pakistan, both media and public reacted with scepticism to Indian claims about the damage caused by the airstrikes in Balakot, which India claimed killed a large number of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants in a training camp.

Hamid Mir, one of the most influential TV anchors in the country travelled to the area and proclaimed, “We haven’t seen any such (militant) infrastructure… we haven’t seen any bodies, any funerals.”

“Actually,” he paused, “We have found one body… this crow.” The camera panned down to a dead crow, while Mr Mir asked viewers if the crow “looks like a terrorist or not?”

There seems to be no evidence to substantiate Indian claims that a militant training camp was hit, but other journalists working for international outlets, including the BBC, found evidence of a madrassa, linked to JeM, near the site.

Image copyright Planet Labs Inc./Handout via Reuters

Image caption The satellite image shows a close-up of a madrassa near Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Paktunkhwa

A photo of a signpost giving directions to the madrassa even surfaced on social media. It described the madrassa as being “under the supervision of Masood Azhar”. Mr Azhar is the founder of JeM.

The signposts’ existence was confirmed by a BBC reporter and Al Jazeera, though by the time Reuters visited it had apparently been removed. Despite this, the madrassa and its links received little to no coverage in the Pakistani press.

Media analyst Adnan Rehmat told the BBC that “there was no emphasis on investigating independently or thoroughly enough” the status of the madrassa.

In Pakistan, reporting on alleged links between the intelligence services and militant groups is often seen as a “red line”. Journalists fear for their physical safety, whilst editors know their newspapers or TV channels could face severe pressure if they publish anything that could be construed as “anti-state”.

Who did it better: Khan or Modi?

Rajini Vaidyanathan: With a general election due in a few months, PM Narendra Modi continued with his campaign schedule, mentioning the crisis in some of his stump speeches. But he never directly addressed the ongoing tensions through an address to the nation or a press conference.

This was not a surprise. Mr Modi rarely holds news conference or gives interviews to the media. When news of the suicide attack broke, Mr Modi was criticised for continuing with a photo shoot.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Imran Khan was praised for his measured approach

The leader of the main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, dubbed him a “Prime Time Minister” claiming the PM had carried on filming for three hours. PM Modi has also been accused of managing his military response as a way to court votes.

At a campaign rally in his home state of Gujarat he seemed unflustered by his critics, quipping “they’re busy with strikes on Modi, and Modi is launching strikes on terror.”

Secunder Kermani: Imran Khan won praise even from many of his critics in Pakistan, for his measured approach to the conflict. In two appearances on state TV, and one in parliament, he appeared firm, but also called for dialogue with India.

His stance helped set the comparatively more measured tone for Pakistani media coverage.

Officials in Islamabad, buoyed by Mr Khan’s decision to release the captured Indian pilot, have portrayed themselves as the more responsible side, which made overtures for peace.

On Twitter, a hashtag calling for Mr Khan to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize was trending for a while. But his lack of specific references to JeM, mean internationally there is likely to be scepticism, at least initially, about his claims that Pakistan will no longer tolerate militant groups targeting India.

[u4u-voice]

Masood Azhar's brother among 44 arrested in crackdown against banned outfits

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday arrested Mufti Abdur Rauf, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, along with 43 other members of banned Islamist outfits in a crackdown. Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced the move at a press conference and insisted that the action was not the result of any pressure, the Pakistani media reported. Hammad Azhar, reportedly a close relative of Masood Azhar, was also among those arrested in the crackdown, Afridi said, adding that action would be taken against all the proscribed organizations. He added that a dossier shared by the Indian government with Pakistan last week also contained the names of Mufti Abdur Rauf and Hammad Azhar. The News International daily cited senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir as saying that the crackdown was launched as part of a National Action Plan (NAP) and that the people arrested offered no resistance when law enforcers took them into custody. He said the number of detainees would rise as the operation was expected to continue for days. The crackdown came a day after the Pakistan government issued an order to streamline a process for the implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities of all banned outfits as designated by the UN Security Council. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said it meant that the government had taken over the control of all proscribed outfits operating in the country. He added that the government will also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such outfits. The crackdown is being linked to the suicide bombing claimed by the JeM that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Kashmir on February 14 and the later IAF bombing of JeM's biggest training camp at Balakot in Pakistan. (Agencies) Read the full article

[latestpakistanitalkshows-blog]

Aiteraz Hai 10th March 2018-some PML-N members badmouthed him for writing columns Watch Latest Pakistani talk shows Aiteraz Hai 10th March 2018-some PML-N members badmouthed him for writing columns on ary news via pakupdates

[sohaibkhanpk-blog]

معروف صحافی حامد میر کی عبوری ضمانت 50لاکھ روپے مچلکوں کے عوض منظور اسلام آباد ایڈیشنل ڈسٹرکٹ اینڈ سیشن جج عدنان خان نے حساس ادارے کے سابق افسر کے اغواء کے الزام میں ملوث ملزم سینئر صحافی حامد م یر کی عبوری ضمانت 50لاکھ روپے مچلکوں کے عوض منظور کر لی ۔ منگل کو حامد میر نے اپنے وکیل حافظ عرفات کے ذریعے ضمانت قبل از گرفتاری کی درخواست دائر کرتے ہوئے موقف اختیار کیا کہ ان کا حساس ادارے کے سابق افسر خالد خواجہ کے قتل سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے ، 7سال بعد مقدمے کا اندراج بد نیتی ثابت کرتا ہے ۔ عدالت اس سے قبل انہیں بے گناہ قرار دے چکی ہے ، خالد خواجہ کی بیوہ اعتراف کر چکی ہے کہ خالد خواجہ خود وزیر ستان گیا تھا ۔ درخواست گزار کا خالد خواجہ کے اغواء اور قتل سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے لہٰذا اس کی ضمانت قبل از گرفتاری منظور کی جائے ۔ عدالت نے 50لاکھ روپے مچلکوں کے عوض عبوری ضمانت منظور کرتے ہوئے پولیس سے رپورٹ طلب کر لی ہے ۔ واضح رہے کہ اسلام آباد ہائی کورٹ کی جانب سے سابق حساس ادارے کے افسر خالد خواجہ کی اہلیہ کی درخواست پر مقدمہ درج کئے جانے کے حکم پر تھانہ رمنا پولیس نے حامد میر اور عثمان پنجابی کے خلاف مقدمہ درج کر رکھا ہے تاہم اغواء کے مقدمہ میں قتل کی دفعہ شامل نہ ہونے پر مقتول کی اہلیہ نے ضلعی عدالت سے رجوع کر رکھا ہے اور عدالت سے استدعا کی ہے کہ مقدمہ میں قتل کی دفعہ شامل کی جائے ۔

[brandsmagazinepakistan-blog]

Brands Magazine

http://monthlybrands.com.pk/hamid-mir-channel-24-news-anchor/

Hamid Mir to join Channel 24 as senior news anchor

Hamid Mir – a senior Pakistani journalist, news anchor, war correspondent, and security expert – is well known for his association with GEO TV since a long time. Mir has been associated with the media house since more than 15 years and has also won the “Most Resilient Journalist Award” during his tenure. However, now it seems that the anchor is all set to move on to Channel 24.

Read also: Hamid Mir wins ‘most resilient journalist’ award

As per the insider from Channel 24’s bigwigs, Hamid Mir is all set to leave Geo Tv for the same channel. The senior management official exclusively revealed to Brands Magazine that Mir is currently in discussion with the Channel 24’s management regarding his pay scale. Moreover, it has been purported that the agreement between the channel and anchor is currently under final stages.

We cannot entirely believe the news till we get to see Mr. Mir on-screen Channel 24, we might take it with a pinch of salt. However, source out of such a big insider is positively affirming towards the shift. Hamid Mir leaving Geo Television Network will definitely be a big blow to the channel management.

[lollipoplollipopoh]

🇵🇰 Why did Pakistan's Geo TV go dark? - The Listening Post (Lead) by Al Jazeera English Early last month, Pakistan's Geo TV went black and remains off the air across much of the country and no one in a position of authority is saying why. Government ministers and the broadcasting regulator have denied any involvement. The cable companies that pulled the plug on Geo are staying silent. As is the Pakistani military, which has butted heads with Geo before and is suspected by numerous political and media observers as having ordered the blackout. While Geo TV used to follow the government line, it has in the last decade began to grow in another direction, according to observers. "What we see now is actually Geo trying to not completely follow the state narrative on politics and that is largely considered to be the source of current friction between the channel and the military, according to Ayesha Siddiqa, research associate at SOAS University and author of Military Inc. "Geo was offering a bit of an alternative and even that was not tolerated." Authorities in various countries tend to grow less tolerant of critical journalism as elections approach - and Pakistan has one coming up later this year. Among the election-related topics Geo has covered that may have landed it in trouble is the 18th amendment, a constitutional change made in 2010 that forbids the military from getting involved in political areas outside its own remit of defence. The army chief of staff wants that amendment abolished. Geo has taken a contrary - and, therefore, politically contentious view. There is also the corruption trial of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was permanently banned from politics by the Supreme Court this past week. His visibility has been much higher on Geo than on other news channels. "Recently, New York Times wrote an article and they claimed that Geo is supporting Nawaz Sharif, so that's why some powerful people in Pakistan are not happy with the Geo TV," says Hamid Mir, senior anchor at Geo News. "But even if Geo is supporting Nawaz Sharif, it is not a legal excuse to shut down a TV channel." The Pakistani media's almost complete silence on the side-lining of their journalistic colleagues at Geo tells its own story. One that could, in the not too distant future, come back to haunt them. "Geo's story has not been reported anywhere except for the social media, and this is extremely unfortunate," explains Asad Baig, executive director at Media Matters for Pakistan. "Naturally, we don't expect any of these rivals to be reporting the shutdown of Geo. Why would they? It's good for their business. It's as plain and simple as that." Contributors: Hamid Mir, senior anchor, Geo News Marvi Sirmed, journalist, Daily Times Asad Baig, executive director, Media Matters for Pakistan Ayesha Siddiqa, research associate, SOAS University and author of Military Inc. More from The Listening Post on: YouTube - https://ift.tt/2by8VEv Facebook - https://ift.tt/2c47sbZ Twitter - http://twitter.com/AJListeningPost Website - https://ift.tt/2bya0wg - Subscribe to our channel: https://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: https://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

[mypakistan]

Agha Iftikhar Ahmad

Agha Iftikhar Ahmad, (Urdu: اغا افتخار احمد; November 30, 1950 — ), is a Pakistani research journalist and an active political activist. Ahmad started his career in 1980, after his released and joined Jang Media Network and since then, he occupied a senior position in the Network. Ahmad is currently serving as Director of Elections, Investigations, Special Projects, and Research (EISPAR) for the Geo News Network (GNN). Iftikhar Ahmad is also hosting the popular Geo Network's interview show Jawab Deyh (or in English "Answerable!") on Geo TV.

With over 30 years of experience and very extensive research, Iftikhar Ahmad is known for his incisive and aggressive style of journalism.[citation needed]

Early life and education

Born in 1950, Ahmad was educated in Lahore, West-Pakistan. He attended Central Model High School. At there, he became politically active and also managed to defeat his opponent by a large margin in school elections for presidency at Central Model High school and, he achieved this feat while he was still in Grade 8 whereas his opponent came from 10th Grade. Ahmad spent quite some time of his childhood with his grandfather Hifzur Rehmann who was a very keen reader. Ahmad picked up the habit of reading books since a very young age, usually studying books on Political science. He was 15 when he along with his friend from the local library crossed a minefield on bicycle to kill Indian soldiers on Wagha border in the Indo-Pakistan 1965 September war.

In the end, he managed only to be fed alu gobhi from the military ration and sent back with an escort by the astonished Pakistani soldiers by Indian soldiers whMuhammedan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO) where he completed his oriental studies. During this same time, Ahmad at the age of 17, became a founding memberPakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

en he was apprehended. After the war, Ahmad went on to attend 

Political activity

Since 1967, Ahmad has been a political activist as well. He participated in the movement against military dictatorship reign of Field Marshal Ayub Khan.

His political philosophy was very much in line with the socialist ideas and he was mesmerized by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He wrote his undergraduate thesis advocating the socialist ideas and its role in modern societies. In 1973, Ahmad wrote his thesis supporting Bhutto's socialist economics policies and advocating for the need of socialism in the country. Ahmad served multiple jail terms under the martial law governments for various violations of LFO.[clarification needed] He was sent to the Sibbi Central Jail, Shahpur Central Jail, Camp Jail Lahore and the notorious Lahore Fort. Ahmad has also served as adviser to two Chief Minister and one Governor of Punjab. His political philosophy is that the real political divide is always between the poor and the rich. He argues that Pakistan may never see a leader better than Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and a slogan better than "Roti, Kapra aur Makan".

Career

Ahmad started his journalism career in 1980 and worked for various publications including Daily Aftab and Daily Pakistan. He has been working forDaily Jang since 1986. In the 1980s Ahmad introduced personal interviews of politicians; these were different in the way that for the first time politicians divulged private information as well. Ahmad through his interviews for Daily Jang set a new trend in Pakistani journalism.

Ahmad is also the brain behind Jang Group's Election Cell. He has run it with pride since 1988, and has covered more than five elections. He takes great pride in the accuracy of his results[citation needed] which are delivered to general public many hours before an official announcement is made. In this regard he is also credited[by whom?] with heading the 2002 election campaign where the Geo Election Cell became a flagship of the Geo brand. This live election telecast helped Geo take off with a bang.

Ahmad has also worked closely with the Geo News Admin and fellow friend and journalist Hamid Mir on the Zarra Sochiye campaign. A campaign which aimed to start debate on issues that divide us[who?], after the broadcast of the debate on Hudood Ordinance, the National assembly of Pakistan had to ratify the Hudood Ordinance.

Controversy: Pleading the case for Bhutto

Ahmad, through his program, Jawabdeh has questioned several key power players of the Coup d'état of (see Operation Fair Play) staged by General Zia-ul-Haq and the subsequent hanging of the then elected Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In these interviews, some of these people, closely worked with General Zia-ul-Haq, spilled the beans about General Zia's real political intentions. In his programme, former Justice Naseem Hassan Shah, who was a member of the bench of Pakistan Supreme Court which upheld Bhutto's death sentence, admitted that he should have voted against the hanging and felt bad for not doing so. Justice Shah also admitted that there was not enough evidence to put Bhutto on death row. It was the political pressure by General Zia-ul-Haq that manipulated the decision. Those who voted against the decision, such as Justice Fakh-ruddin Abrahim and Justice Dourab Framroze Patel, General Zia-ul-Haq insulted them, and forcefully retired them from their services.

Ahmad has done at least 40 interviews which even though very relevant from an historical point but are seen by many[who?] as an attempt to absolve Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Due to the special attached to Bhutto, some analysts[who?] argue, undue attention paid, and thorough probing done by Ahmad, the certain lost period of Pakistan's history from 1977 to 1988. Due to his still continuous support to Bhutto, Ahmad has been labeled as a Bhutto loyalist, or a Bhuttoist.

He is said[by whom?] to have over-glorified Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and has been accused of trying to resurrect Bhutto by some senior politicians. The opponents also point out that Ahmad still maintains close relations with the Pakistan People Party, especially with the original members of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's cabinet.

His Interview of Naseem Hassan Shah led to the PPP to make the decision to file for the reopening of the case of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The interview also served as the basis of a lawsuit against Justice Naseem Hassan Shah in which the claimant claimed that after Justice Naseem Hassan Shah's admission in the interview that the decision to hang "Bhutto Sahib" had been forced upon them by Zia-ul-Haq.[1]

Ahmad's Program and the Court Case

Perhaps the only time in Pakistan's' Judicial History that a petition against a Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan was filed, seeking registration of a case against him on charges of abetting in the "murder" of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

One member of the bench remarked;

In a situation where the judgment of a case was effective for citation as a reference, an ambiguous statement of one of the members of a panel of judges hearing the case, could in no way prejudice the decision after two decades. If such things were allowed to happen, the whole judicial system would collapse.

Justice Hanif Tahir had quoted the former chief justice as saying in two of his press interviews that the Supreme Court judgment in the appeal of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto against his death sentence awarded by the Lahore High Court, was a wrong decision and it was a fit case for lesser punishment.

The petitioner submitted that, Justice Shah was part of the 7-member bench of the Supreme Court which upheld the death penalty. He contended that comments of the former chief justice amounted to a confessional statement and that he had shown no such sentiments while agreeing with the majority opinion of apex court's bench which confirmed the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The petitioner started with quotes from the interview of Justice Shah done by Iftikhar Ahmad. The court asked him if such quotes, taken from a television interview, carried any legal significance. When the petitioner submitted that the text of interview was a "public document", the court asked the lawyer to define the legality of public documents and remarked that points raised in the petition were based on hearsay.

As for petitioner's contention that Justice Shah had made a confessional statement in his interview, the court directed him to examine the relevant law to know what a confessional statement was and if it carried a legal weight if given on a non-judicial or extrajudicial forum. He must also differentiate between a press statement and a legal statement recorded in a court of law. The bench of the Lahore High Court on February 12, 2004 dismissed in limina.

Resignation in protest

It was reported 17 November 2008 that he resigned from Geo TV in protest over its refusal to broadcast his interview with Shahid Masood. He alleged that he was earlier pressured to censor certain portions of the said interview, which he declined.

The Geo TV administration retracted from their position and the complete interview was broadcast the following week. After the program went on air, Ahmad took back his resignation. Ahmad still insists that no compromises can be made where principles are concerned.

[risingpakistan]

Agha Iftikhar Ahmad

Agha Iftikhar Ahmad, (Urdu: اغا افتخار احمد; November 30, 1950 — ), is a Pakistani research journalist and an active political activist. Ahmad started his career in 1980, after his released and joined Jang Media Network and since then, he occupied a senior position in the Network. Ahmad is currently serving as Director of Elections, Investigations, Special Projects, and Research (EISPAR) for the Geo News Network (GNN). Iftikhar Ahmad is also hosting the popular Geo Network's interview show Jawab Deyh (or in English "Answerable!") on Geo TV.

With over 30 years of experience and very extensive research, Iftikhar Ahmad is known for his incisive and aggressive style of journalism.[citation needed]

Early life and education

Born in 1950, Ahmad was educated in Lahore, West-Pakistan. He attended Central Model High School. At there, he became politically active and also managed to defeat his opponent by a large margin in school elections for presidency at Central Model High school and, he achieved this feat while he was still in Grade 8 whereas his opponent came from 10th Grade. Ahmad spent quite some time of his childhood with his grandfather Hifzur Rehmann who was a very keen reader. Ahmad picked up the habit of reading books since a very young age, usually studying books on Political science. He was 15 when he along with his friend from the local library crossed a minefield on bicycle to kill Indian soldiers on Wagha border in the Indo-Pakistan 1965 September war.

In the end, he managed only to be fed alu gobhi from the military ration and sent back with an escort by the astonished Pakistani soldiers by Indian soldiers whMuhammedan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO) where he completed his oriental studies. During this same time, Ahmad at the age of 17, became a founding memberPakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

en he was apprehended. After the war, Ahmad went on to attend 

Political activity

Since 1967, Ahmad has been a political activist as well. He participated in the movement against military dictatorship reign of Field Marshal Ayub Khan.

His political philosophy was very much in line with the socialist ideas and he was mesmerized by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He wrote his undergraduate thesis advocating the socialist ideas and its role in modern societies. In 1973, Ahmad wrote his thesis supporting Bhutto's socialist economics policies and advocating for the need of socialism in the country. Ahmad served multiple jail terms under the martial law governments for various violations of LFO.[clarification needed] He was sent to the Sibbi Central Jail, Shahpur Central Jail, Camp Jail Lahore and the notorious Lahore Fort. Ahmad has also served as adviser to two Chief Minister and one Governor of Punjab. His political philosophy is that the real political divide is always between the poor and the rich. He argues that Pakistan may never see a leader better than Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and a slogan better than "Roti, Kapra aur Makan".

Career

Ahmad started his journalism career in 1980 and worked for various publications including Daily Aftab and Daily Pakistan. He has been working forDaily Jang since 1986. In the 1980s Ahmad introduced personal interviews of politicians; these were different in the way that for the first time politicians divulged private information as well. Ahmad through his interviews for Daily Jang set a new trend in Pakistani journalism.

Ahmad is also the brain behind Jang Group's Election Cell. He has run it with pride since 1988, and has covered more than five elections. He takes great pride in the accuracy of his results[citation needed] which are delivered to general public many hours before an official announcement is made. In this regard he is also credited[by whom?] with heading the 2002 election campaign where the Geo Election Cell became a flagship of the Geo brand. This live election telecast helped Geo take off with a bang.

Ahmad has also worked closely with the Geo News Admin and fellow friend and journalist Hamid Mir on the Zarra Sochiye campaign. A campaign which aimed to start debate on issues that divide us[who?], after the broadcast of the debate on Hudood Ordinance, the National assembly of Pakistan had to ratify the Hudood Ordinance.

Controversy: Pleading the case for Bhutto

Ahmad, through his program, Jawabdeh has questioned several key power players of the Coup d'état of (see Operation Fair Play) staged by General Zia-ul-Haq and the subsequent hanging of the then elected Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In these interviews, some of these people, closely worked with General Zia-ul-Haq, spilled the beans about General Zia's real political intentions. In his programme, former Justice Naseem Hassan Shah, who was a member of the bench of Pakistan Supreme Court which upheld Bhutto's death sentence, admitted that he should have voted against the hanging and felt bad for not doing so. Justice Shah also admitted that there was not enough evidence to put Bhutto on death row. It was the political pressure by General Zia-ul-Haq that manipulated the decision. Those who voted against the decision, such as Justice Fakh-ruddin Abrahim and Justice Dourab Framroze Patel, General Zia-ul-Haq insulted them, and forcefully retired them from their services.

Ahmad has done at least 40 interviews which even though very relevant from an historical point but are seen by many[who?] as an attempt to absolve Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Due to the special attached to Bhutto, some analysts[who?] argue, undue attention paid, and thorough probing done by Ahmad, the certain lost period of Pakistan's history from 1977 to 1988. Due to his still continuous support to Bhutto, Ahmad has been labeled as a Bhutto loyalist, or a Bhuttoist.

He is said[by whom?] to have over-glorified Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and has been accused of trying to resurrect Bhutto by some senior politicians. The opponents also point out that Ahmad still maintains close relations with the Pakistan People Party, especially with the original members of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's cabinet.

His Interview of Naseem Hassan Shah led to the PPP to make the decision to file for the reopening of the case of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The interview also served as the basis of a lawsuit against Justice Naseem Hassan Shah in which the claimant claimed that after Justice Naseem Hassan Shah's admission in the interview that the decision to hang "Bhutto Sahib" had been forced upon them by Zia-ul-Haq.[1]

Ahmad's Program and the Court Case

Perhaps the only time in Pakistan's' Judicial History that a petition against a Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan was filed, seeking registration of a case against him on charges of abetting in the "murder" of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

One member of the bench remarked;

In a situation where the judgment of a case was effective for citation as a reference, an ambiguous statement of one of the members of a panel of judges hearing the case, could in no way prejudice the decision after two decades. If such things were allowed to happen, the whole judicial system would collapse.

Justice Hanif Tahir had quoted the former chief justice as saying in two of his press interviews that the Supreme Court judgment in the appeal of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto against his death sentence awarded by the Lahore High Court, was a wrong decision and it was a fit case for lesser punishment.

The petitioner submitted that, Justice Shah was part of the 7-member bench of the Supreme Court which upheld the death penalty. He contended that comments of the former chief justice amounted to a confessional statement and that he had shown no such sentiments while agreeing with the majority opinion of apex court's bench which confirmed the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The petitioner started with quotes from the interview of Justice Shah done by Iftikhar Ahmad. The court asked him if such quotes, taken from a television interview, carried any legal significance. When the petitioner submitted that the text of interview was a "public document", the court asked the lawyer to define the legality of public documents and remarked that points raised in the petition were based on hearsay.

As for petitioner's contention that Justice Shah had made a confessional statement in his interview, the court directed him to examine the relevant law to know what a confessional statement was and if it carried a legal weight if given on a non-judicial or extrajudicial forum. He must also differentiate between a press statement and a legal statement recorded in a court of law. The bench of the Lahore High Court on February 12, 2004 dismissed in limina.

Resignation in protest

It was reported 17 November 2008 that he resigned from Geo TV in protest over its refusal to broadcast his interview with Shahid Masood. He alleged that he was earlier pressured to censor certain portions of the said interview, which he declined.

The Geo TV administration retracted from their position and the complete interview was broadcast the following week. After the program went on air, Ahmad took back his resignation. Ahmad still insists that no compromises can be made where principles are concerned.

[pakistantalkshow]

Kidnapping case against senior anchor Hamid Mir quashed | Pakistan

[ad_1] Senior journalist Hamid Mir ISLAMABAD: The additional sessions court dismissed on Friday a plea against senior anchorperson Hamid Mir, which alleged his involvement in the kidnapping of deceased Khalid Khawaja. The case was heard in the additional session judge Islamabad Muhammad Jahangir’s court. The Ramna police presented an investigation report to the court in the case. The applicant,…

[fastworldnews1]

Ready to stand with Shehbaz on budget day despite PML-N's inappropriate behaviour: Bilawal

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said that the party would support Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on the budget despite the inappropriate behaviour of some PML-N members.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Bilawal said: "I unconditionally say to Shehbaz Sharif in front of the media that all PPP members will be in your support with regards to the parliament and this [upcoming] budget despite the tantrums [of some PML-N members]."

He said that PPP members would come and vote on the day of the budget and now it was up to Shehbaz as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly to "do his work and stop the government's budget."

Bilawal was responding to a question on whether the PPP had been contacted on the budget issue and whether it would support the opposition. He responded that despite the "inappropriate behaviour" of the PML-N and other political parties in the opposition, the PPP had prioritised national issues and the budget over differences between the political parties.

"So despite their insults, the PPP went to Shehbaz Sharif's invitation for dinner so we can rid the people of economic difficulties [...] unfortunately our host was publicly insulted after that dinner by some officeholders of the PML-N," said Bilawal, adding that flinging statements at guests was not a part of "our tradition, values and culture".

The PML-N president had last week hosted a dinner reception for all mainstream opposition parties which was apparently aimed at bringing the PPP back to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Bilawal had not attended the dinner though senior PPP leaders did.

PPP leader Farhatullah Babar said that the PPP delegation had assured Shehbaz of their support for all moves of the joint opposition that would block the way of “anti-people decisions” in the upcoming budget.

PDM Secretary General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had, the very next day, categorically stated that there was no place for the PPP within the opposition alliance until it restored the trust it had betrayed. "If you are not committed to trusting the movement, then there is no place for you within the PDM."

During the press conference, the PPP chairman also lashed out at the PDM, saying it should have offered resignations the same day or the next when the PPP had "supposedly" refused to listen to its demands and set out for its long march.

"If they still want to do politics of resignations then they should have given them by now.

"I think that when you have seen and the whole nation knows that the numbers are there if you want to attack Prime Minister Imran Khan and (Punjab Chief Minister) Usman Buzdar then giving resignations in that case and not bringing a no-confidence motion is akin to being an enabler of the government," said Bilawal.

The PPP chairman also criticised the government and said that the statements since the past few weeks on the the state of the economy showed that the "prime minister has no connection to the common man."

"There is a daily increase in inflation and poverty and unemployment have reached historic levels, yet our prime minister says that Pakistan's economy is developing and beating a drum of prosperity."

He said the government's ministers had come around to accept the PPP's stance on the economy and expressed the hope that Pakistan would escape the "IMF's (International Monetary Fund) grip" in the budget next week.

Bilawal also addressed the current system of accountability and said there was no rule of law. "This is revenge and political engineering and their ministers themselves accept it has hurt the economy," he said, further asking why there were differences in the treatment meted out to people.

Bilawal also reiterated his demand for parliament to be taken into confidence about the situation in Afghanistan and briefed by the relevant institutions involved so the people could decide what Pakistan's policy would be.

He also criticised the government's attempt to introduce electoral reforms through an ordinance and called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the issue. Terming it the government's attempts at rigging, he said a high level delegation of the PPP would approach the ECP to explain its stance.

Bilawal similarly hit out at an ordinance for the creation of a new media body and said the PPP would continue to oppose it. He added that the recent attacks on journalists such as Asad Ali Toor or pressure being applied to media personnel such as Hamid Mir through petitions had "exposed the government's weakness and insecurity".

https://ift.tt/3fRw5rQ

[alilcwu786]

 There is no doubt that the United Nations is doing a lot in many parts of the world but the Kashmir and Palestine disputes have been unresolved since 1947.Kashmir and Palestine disputes unresolved, senior journalist Hamid Mir showed the UN a mirror. There is no doubt that the United Nations is doing a lot in many parts of the world but the Kashmir and Palestine disputes have been unresolved since 1947, a senior journalist responded to the UN tweet. According to details, senior journalist Hamid, the host of Capital Talk, has shaken the international conscience over the ongoing atrocities in Kashmir and Palestine.A tweet from the UN's Twitter account stated that the UN was working for everyone and everywhere. According to the tweet, the United Nations is resolving conflicts, working to provide vaccines to children, and the United Nations is also at the forefront of protecting refugees.The tweet added that the UN agency was working on a number of issues, including hunger, climate crisis, women's rights, and various crises.Retweeting the UN tweet, senior journalist Hamid Mir tweeted that of course the UN agency is doing a lot in the world.But the ashmir and Palestinian disputes have been unresolved since 1947, and the UN Security Council has failed to act in accordance with its resolutions. He wrote that the United Nations is helpless against human rights violations in these two regions, please do something.a

http://gillanilcwu.blogspot.com/2020/09/kashmir-and-palestine-disputes.html