Foreign Media Responsible Too For Murder Of Pakistani Journalists

[KhanHaripur]

Syed Saleem Shahzad will be forgotten after some time. His employer, Asia Times Online, will get the most out of publicity. And foreign news media will continue to push our young journalists into danger for dollars, fame and publicity. And thanks to Hillary Clinton for her statement, but it wont bring the smiles back to Saleems wife and three kids.
TARIQ KHATTAK | Wednesday | 1 June 2011 | The Murder of Journalist Saleem Shahzad
WWW.PAKNATIONALISTS.COM
ISLAMABAD, PakistanForeign media and organizations will always say that freedom of expression and free journalism is something alien to Pakistani society. And yet they push young reporters to file stories that land them and their families in trouble. Many pay the ultimate price only to boost the sales of foreign media.
Many reporters are aggressive by default; encouragement makes them more insistent. But their grey-haired and white-haired editors should not push it.
Editors should not see damaging stories from purely business point of view; rather they should mull all the consequences. Journalism should not be lost to commercialism.
The killing of Syed Saleem Shahzad will be forgotten after some time; the mystery (whodunit) will never be resolved. Asia Times Online, like other media businesses, got publicity and will find people to become fuel of their lust to become popular.
But what about Saleems family and kids, who will fill the gap in their lives. They have lost him forever. He will never come back for them.
I can bet that his anniversary will go unnoticed and many more would have paid a similar price by then.
Time will tell who was behind this crime.
I feel obliged to request my colleagues to exercise calm and restraint. Every truth should not be unmasked. Some secrets are best secret.
May Allah bless Saleem and all other martyrs and give vision to the rest to discharge duties while remaining safe. The statement of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is encouraging but will it help the slain reporter? Or the unfortunate widow and the orphans?
Money is a very important thing but not the most important thing. We should not do anything and everything for money and fame.

Mr. Khattak is a Pakistani journalist, an editor at Pakistan Media Group and Business Editor at Pakistan Observer. Reach him at tariqgulkhattak[at]gmail.com

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[KhanHaripur]

And a intresting comment
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.
.
SMIQBAL says:
June 2, 2011 at 3:50 am
Donot supply wrong feedings to Foreing Media, just for money or cheap popularity. You would be encashed by your master and would be double crossed. Whatever secret stories are published in the media have no source of confirmation. It is only a conspiracy theories to malign the institutions of Pakistan for a specific purpose. You shall not get any thing in return but you shall put your country at stake at the whim of enemies.
The death of Saleem Shahzad is condoled. This is pertinent to note here that the journalist like Saleem Shahazad pose themselves that they are directly or indirectly connected with the militant groups. Playing into the hands of militants they cross the beariers and break the limitations of their duty. They do not know the rules of terrorism. The militant feed wrong information for a boost to their militant ideas, and after getting sufficient response from the audience, they double cross the journalists. Same is the case with Saleem Shahzad. The militant had used Saleem Shahzad for targetting the ISI and managed a E-mail from him. This is the fate of getting cheap popularity. It is duty of every Pakistani to protect its soil. If any one receives or come across some vital infomation he should supply / send it to people dealing with militantancy. The innocent journalist donot know what is the business of doubel cross. The business of double cross is “get some one at the costs of a fool.” Saleem Shahzad had become prey for maligning the Institutions and ISI. ISI has powerful legal arm to handle the like situations. Dont target ISI, and dont be fool. Kidnapping of a person, torturing and killing and throwing his body at a public place is the job of militants who are busy in spreading fears in the people. If ISI could have been against Saleem Shahzad it was very easy for them to keep Saleem Shahzad in protective custody under the law and constitution. I advise to all the journalist please do not play into the hands of militants, avoid a trap of double cross and leave it to the people who are meant for it. Pakistan is spending billions of rupees for the purporse of security of the nation. Armed forces are targetted and giving their lives for this purpose. If you have some vital informations please hand it over to the agencies as soon as you get it. This is their job. You the journalist while acting upn wrong feeding from certain quaters may fall prey like Saleem Shahzad.
SMIQBAL.

 

[Star Gazer]

Now a new element is being added to this horrendous plan of ensnaring Pakistan, and all of us need to understand the depth of this nefarious design.
Just because some one is a journalist does not make them invincible or ensure their safety.
I deeply sympathise with the family of Saleem Shehzad and pray to Allah that He may elevate the status of the deceased to higher levels.

 

[king1982]

The killing of saleem shahzad is a conspiracy to defame ISI. The ISI doesn't do such low stuff. During the lawyers movement musharraf and the army were getting kicked from all sides but no journalist was assassinated this is a conspiracy to put more pressure on the ISI domestically.

 

[ali zaif]

An Appeal To ISI and Military Establishment

STOP the genocide of Pakistani thinkers, journalists and activists. Aqal ka Qatal, Soch ka Qatal, humara Qatal bund karo! Sachai Jurum Nahi.... Suchai ka qatal bund Karo...