NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
Every thing became crystal clear when foreign media, NGOs and human rights groups
reactivated their campaign against Pakistan, its army and especially Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI) by projecting the so-called propaganda of the Geo TV by favouring the misconceptions
of its anchor and journalist Hamid Mir who was severely injured on April 19, this year when
unidentified gunmen opened fire at his car in Karachi.
It is a good sign that the Government of Pakistan, political and religious parties, lawyers,
intellectuals, media and civil society supported the core national institutions like ISI. They
strongly condemned the Geo TV channel which deduced hastily outcome of the assault on
It is mentionable that Hamid Mir who was threatened by the Taliban, scheduled to go to
Balochistan on April 19, but as to why, he managed to go to Karachi without appropriate
security. And as to how target-killers came to know his arrival in Karachi. Besides there are a
number of contradictions in the developments related to Hamid Mir incident. His driver and
security guard remained safe, and they were neither detained by police for their initial statement
nor appeared on the Geo TV in this connection. When other media analysts indicated that as to
why no FIR was lodged, the same was lodged against unknown persons, without mention of ISI.
But on April 24, first formal statement of Hamid Mir was conveyed to the media by his brother
Amir Mir, holding ISI responsible for orchestrating the attack. Showing ambivalent approach, he
also disclosed that according to Hamid Mir, he had also been facing threats from both state and
non-state actors who could try to kill him.
Afterwards, the media person Hamid Mir also changed his earlier statement by pointing out that
ISI is not responsible for that assault, but some individuals inside the agency planned the same.
Another notable dimension is that If ISI had threatened Hamid Mir as its target, why he earlier
did not lodge FIR or why he did not go to the court regarding this serious matter.
Some sources suggest that nexus of Indian RAW, American CIA and Israeli Mossad or Taliban
are responsible for assault on Hamid Mir. In this regard, a layman needs to go in depth to know
the real face of anchor Hamid Mir who had been serving the interests of the US, India and
the Taliban including some other entities clandestinely by sabotaging the national interests of
While praising the armed forces and ISI, besides other leaders, and political parties, even Jamat-
i-Islami remarked that Geo and Jang group has been implementing anti-Pakistan agenda of
external powers. Especially, Chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan who also
defended the stance of Army and ISI, announced that he and his party would boycott Geo and
Jang group, revealing that his party would give out a document “exposing foreign funding” given
to this media group.
In this connection, processions and rallies by various political and religious parties continue
unabated in support of the armed forces and ISI, demanding that that Geo and Jang group must
be shut down due to its ant-state activities. However, it shows that these positive developments
have been reinvigorating the national institutions like ISI, while countering all negative
propaganda against it.
It is notable that ISI, being the premier secret agency of Pakistan has been assigned the task of
guarding national interests against any possible foreign foray and acrimonious schemes of hostile
elements. The nation is proud of ISI for having endured exploitative moves of hostile forces by
successfully countering the evil designs of international intelligence agencies like RAW, CIA,
Mossad, Afghan KHAD and British MI6 which have been destabilizing Pakistan through various
subversive acts, as the latter is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.
ISI is alone coping with several secret agencies, working inside Pakistan. As regards external
agents, a US national arrested at Karachi airport on May 5 for carrying ammunition in his bag is
a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, according to the report, published in Washington
Post which quoted American officials.
Unfortunately, ISI has been in the eye of the wicked storm ever since extra-regional imperialists
started expanding their influence in South Asia and Afghanistan. India has been in the forefront
to malign ISI and Pak Army. Unfortunately, India succeeded in promoting its narrative through
selected Pakistani media houses. In this respect, while hinting towards the Geo media group,
senior journalist Majid Nizami commented, “Certain TV channel of Pakistan appears to be
Indian.” This is due to its tendency to follow Indian narrative, during its electronic coverage.
Since long Indian propagandists labeled ISI “a state within state”, while insinuating that ISI was
harboring terrorists. Domestic media like the Geo and Jung group, instead of countering Indian
allegations against ISI followed Indian themes and launched a media tirade against ISI.
However, Hamid Mir episode and subsequent media campaign launched by Geo TV to malign
ISI and its DG created conditions for Indian and western media to propagate against ISI and
its top leadership. Regrettably, some Pakistani politicians have also drawn sadistic pleasure by
criticizing ISI without realizing that such castigation will damage the prestige of the outfit.
Nevertheless, India availed the opportunity, and under the pretext of false accusations, its
renowned newspapers, TV channels and high officials implicated ISI. In this regard, on April 28,
voicing his support for the Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, former external affairs minister and
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif through a letter to stop ISI
from suspending Geo TV license.
In fact, anti-Pakistan forces are trying to weaken Pakistan’s core institutions to make them
irrelevant or to destroy them, as this will lead to devastation of state itself.
Taking note of the foreign conspiracy against the integrity of Pakistan, Government of Pakistan,
and our internal entities, especially other TV channels like ARY, Samaa, Express, Dunya Din
etc. also rejected false accusations of the Geo TV—and outrightly rejected all plots designed to
tarnish the image of ISI. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while appreciating the services of ISI
stated, “Government acknowledges the security institutions, particularly role of ISI for ensuring
defence, security and peace in the country.” This is a positive step to eulogize the superior secret
agency in wake of Geo campaign against it.
Patriotic Pakistani public feels that still much remains to be done in reinvigorating ISI, as lethal
propaganda against our primary spy agency is causing irreparable damage to Pakistan.
Those entities like the Geo media anchors which always target ISI by manipulating various
developments and issues in order to implicate this agency, under one pretext or the other,
need to learn from Turkey and USA where spy agencies have been given additional powers to
protect their national interests. In this context, Turkish President Abdullah Gul approved a law
duly legislated by Turkish Parliament—expanding the powers of MIT (Turkish spy agency) to
tap private phone conversations and collect intelligence related to terrorism and international
crime. The law also offered the spy agency greater immunity from prosecution and provides for
prison terms of up to 10 years for journalists and others who publish leaked information. This
step was taken after media leaks which embarrassed Turkish Government on infamous Syrian
Similarly, at the request of US Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, US Senate
removed a section from a crucial intelligence bill that would have required the White House
to disclose information on those killed by the US drone strikes overseas. This has been done
to provide protection to CIA for using drones to kill combatants and non-combatants. The sole
superpower America could not afford to uncover the vulnerabilities of CIA, and therefore, the
legislation was lobbied to pass laws to safeguard their spy agency.
It is also relevant to ask the anti-ISI human rights campaigners as to why they were silent
on Turkish legislation and Bill, passed by the US senators to protect their spy agencies? The
answer is simple, as these powers give top priority to their national interests, whereas the media
stalwarts like Ansar Abbassi and Najam Sethi including other analysts openly question as to
what is national interest in Pakistan. They simply do not accept that Pakistan’s national interests
are vital and above every other interest.
Nonetheless, the main aim of Hamid Mir episode was to defame the ISI. Thanks God, statements
of various political and religious parties in wake of continued public processions and rallies
in support of the armed forces and ISI, and against the Geo media group have thwarted the
foreign conspiracy against the national interests of Pakistan. In this context, our internal entities
like media and civil society understand that firmness of the state is directly related to the
effectiveness of country’s primary spy agency, assigned the task of protecting national interests.
Consequently, for the purpose, the Government of Pakistan, political parties, lawyers,
intellectuals, media and civil society must continue their support by ensuring actions to
reinvigorate the core institutions like ISI, and by giving a matching response to all negative
propaganda against it.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants,
Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
