Top Pakistan TV anchors sent death threats for condemning Malala attack
October 17, 2012 3 Comments
Pakistani children pray for the recovery of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot last week by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Two top Pakistan TV anchors have been sent death threats by the Taliban for publicly condemning last week’s attack on schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.
Hamid Mir, of Geo News TV and ARY News, and his colleague Aamir Liaquat Hussain were declared “enemies of Islam” by a Taliban spokesperson, who ordered attacks on the two television channels’ offices.
Yousafzai, a renowned campaigner for girls’ education in Pakistan, was shot in the head on her way home from school.
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack and told the BBC that she was targeted because she “promoted secularism”
“Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan sent two long statements to the Pakistani media in the last two days, in which he criticised my and my colleague Aamir Liaquat Hussain in very strong words, and declared us enemies of Islam,” said Mir, who interviewed Yousafzai for the first time on his television show ‘Capital Talk’ in 2009.
He said that the Taliban leadership based in North Waziristan has ordered its Tariq Brigade to “eliminate Hamid Mir”, according a letter sent by the National Crises Management Cell (NCMC) of the Interior Ministry to provincial governments in Pakistan.
Media quick to react
Pakistan media were quick to react to last week’s shooting. The story was headline news on most Pakistan TV channels immediately after the news broke.
“The Taliban are angry with me because I said in my TV show that all those who attacked a 14 year old girl are cowards.
“I also criticised the government for not taking any actions for the protection of Malala,” said Mir.
He tweeted immediately after the attack: “No one has the right to attack a school girl just because of political differences. The attackers give Islam a bad name,”
One million dollar bounty
Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced a bounty of one million US dollars for the arrest of Ehsanullah Ehsan yesterday.
“I am personally not satisfied with this announcement,” said Mir.
“Ehsanullah Ehsan is sending emails and SMS [text] messages, calling on our mobile phones, but no intelligence agency has intercepted him so far.
“The Interior Ministry is only writing letters to different provincial governments, but is not doing anything to arrest the culprits.
“I demand that the government must provide security to all the TV channels and anchors receiving threats from the Taliban,” he added.
Pakistan is a notorious dangerous place for journalists to work. The International News Safety Institute has recorded the deaths of 5 journalists this year.
Pressure from both terrorist groups and state-run intelligence agencies means that many journalists are forced to quit their jobs and leave their homes in a bid to save their lives.
BBC journalist M Ilyas Khan told the BBC last Wednesday that “no place in Pakistan is safe for people targeted by militant groups.”
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Dr Aamir Liaquat hussain reply via twitter and Website against Death Threat
I will continue to condemn such barbaric acts whenever I should…Aamir Liaquat Hussain
I want to share the saddest news with all of you that I am not going to the most sacred journey and cannot perform Hajj this year. Please pray that next year I will get the “Bulawa”…this all happened due to irresponsibility of the travel agent. Since I do not believe in “SIFARISH” therefore I did not approach the government high ups to get the visa. But InshaAllah I will do the Hajj Transmission with full vigor and religious fervor
Bushra, Ahmed and Duaa, they all are very disappointed and sad for not going to Hajj. I raised my voice in couple of my programmes and beepers on “Malala Issue” along with martyrs of drone attacks and Lal Masjid. Besides getting the appreciation for raising my voice I also got some serious “Life Threats” from the attackers of Malala.
I would like to inform all of you that nothing can shake my beliefs and I will continue to condemn such barbaric acts whenever I should… We should respect and believe teachings of Islam instead of emphasizing on taking revenge in the name of Islam.
Someone can have differences of opinion with Malala’s views but Islam strictly prohibits killing or attacking someone. The doors of Dialogue and negotiations are always opened, so please enter through the doors of reason rather than attempt to kill someone. We should also objurgate the killings of innocent people on daily basis in Karachi by “Unidentified Beasts”. We should not forget this act that thousands Malalas get killed in tribal areas and dozens Malalas get orphan everyday in Karachi
http://www.aamirliaquat.com
https://twitter.com/AamirLiaquat
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