Amir Mir
Encyclopedia
Amir Mir is a senior Pakistani journalist, known for his research work on Islamic militancy and terrorism in Pakistan. Currently affiliated with Pakistan’s leading English daily The News International as Deputy Editor/Editor Investigations in Lahore, he is closely following the Pakistani politics for almost two decades now. His areas of special interest included, al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militant and jehadi organisations, terrorism, intelligence agencies, armed forces, religious and political parties and sectarian and ethnic groups.
Amir Mir is a former editor of Weekly Independent - a hardcore news magazine which became a direct target of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s absolutism. Having started his journalistic career in 1988 with the English daily The Frontier Post, he has served numerous newspaper organisations in Pakistan and abroad: The News, The Nation, The Post, The Friday Times, Weekly Independent, Herald, Newsline, Reuters, Spanish News Agency, Gulf News, Arab News, Weekly Outlook, Weekly Tehelka, Daily News & Analysis (DNA), Rediff.com, Inter Press Service (IPS), Asia Times Online (AToL), etc.
. Mir accuses Musharraf of making half-hearted efforts to curb radical Islamic groups operating in Pakistan.
A hardcore news magazine which carried write ups and columns from senior and well reputed writers and hard hitting breaking news reports exposing the misdeeds of the Musharraf regime, made Weekly Independent highly respected amongst the journalistic fraternity. At the same time, however, it caused immense problems for Amir Mir and the management of the Weekly. Other than financial problems that the Weekly had to face at the hands of the then Punjab government led by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi which had withheld all public advertisements from the paper for almost a year, the editor particularly had to stand against all odds to protect the sanctity of the journalistic spirit of the paper. As per a back page item that appeared in one of the issues of the Weekly Independent in March 2003:
“The Home Secretary of the Punjab Province and a former top intelligence sleuth, Brigadier Ejaz Hussain Shah (retd) has in a lack of graciousness hurled a telephonic threat on Weekly Independent, saying “Enough is enough. The Punjab government has finally decided to proceed against your paper for working against the national interest”. For years Pakistan's vocal press has been pressurized and cajoled. “Working against the national interest” has been a favorite Establishment excuse to shut off the press whom it takes as an adversary. But we need a clarification from the federal and the Punjab governments if the squeeze or the threat is official?”
The editorial went on to state: “In March this year, the regime redoubled its moves to harass the editorial staff as well as the chief executive of the paper. The Home secretary, Punjab, a retired brigadier and former chief of Punjab ISI, called the Chief Executive and told him to roll-back operations of the paper immediately if he wanted to stay in business and stay safe. Similar threats were conveyed to the editorial staff. The matter was brought to the notice of the national and international journalist organisations. The strong protests by the journalist community put the administration on the defensive and direct intimidation was suspended for the time being. However, more devious ways to throttle the paper were adopted, and the private sector companies were compelled to stop putting ads in the Weekly Independent.
The Editorial further added: “The paper, however, refused to bargain on its independent policy position and continued to oppose anti-democracy measures introduced by the first commando 'President' of Pakistan. The paper criticised General Musharraf for usurping powers of the elected Parliament, pleading that he should not simultaneously hold the civilian and military slots of the President and the Army Chief. Through its editorials, the paper pleaded for national reconciliation by allowing the exiled political leadership to return to the country in safety and without any fear of further intimidation. As the Weekly refused to change its independent editorial policy by toeing the establishment's line, the regime decided to launch a fresh assault against the editorial staff and the investors. Last month, an Islamabad-based news agency, financed by the federal government and protected by General Musharraf's closest aide, ran a report claiming that the Jamali-led Musharraf government was investigating the Editor of Weekly Independent for indulging in anti-Musharraf, anti-Army and anti-Pakistan 'propaganda' with the financial assistance given by exiled leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The move, however, again failed to deter the paper from pursuing independent journalism.
The editorial further stated: “Another malicious report was subsequently planted in an Urdu newspaper early this month, saying that the government agencies had launched an inquiry against the owner of the publication for allegedly receiving millions of rupees from Saudi Arabia, where Sharif is living in exile, to malign General Musharraf and the Pakistan Army. As all such devious moves failed to weaken the resolve of the paper to continue its struggle for people's rights and a genuine democratic polity, a fresh attempt is now afoot to suppress the independent voice. A libel notice served on the paper on behalf of General Musharraf's right-hand-man Tariq Aziz Warraich, Secretary, National Security Council, demands payment of Rs 50,000,000 and an apology for two reports we carried in the recent past.
The editorial concluded: “We would like to inform our readers that Weekly Independent is under tremendous government pressure right now, though its resolve to stick to an independent policy remains unshaken. In a country where Army dominates the polity, and officials of the security agencies telephone editors and financiers to tell them what their publications should or should not contain, publishing a journal with an independent and honest approach is no easy job. Anyone dedicated to the ideals of our founding fathers who wanted to see Pakistan as a modern democratic state, with the Army being subservient to the elected Parliament, would endorse the editorial policy of the magazine. We have tried our best to maintain independence of the Weekly, and would continue to withstand the government pressure as long as we are allowed to pursue an independent policy”.
A special report carried by the Washington-based web newspaper South Asia Tribune on June 16, 2003, titled “Editor of Weekly Independent resigns under government pressure (http://satribune.com/archives/jun15_21_03/P1_mirresigns.htm) stated: “Amir Mir, Pakistan’s young but fiercely independent Editor of “Weekly Independent”, a hard hitting Lahore journal, resigned on June 13 [2003] under relentless government pressure which forced the owners to change the newspaper policy. It was yet another proof that the Musharraf Government was ruthlessly coming down on dissent and even a weekly with moderate circulation was not tolerated. “Weekly Independent” was uncompromising under Editor Amir Mir who is now jobless as his owners informed him in writing that they were changing the policy to favor the military regime of the self-appointed Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf. Amir Mir had become a problem for the Army regime to the extent that General Musharraf himself presided over a meeting in Lahore and ordered action against the paper”, according to a document posted by Weekly on its website (http://www.weeklyindependent.com/backpage1.htm).
In a telephonic conversation, Amir Mir told South Asia Tribune: “I had been receiving threats of dire consequences from the top notches of the ISI Punjab for the past six months, even before I was made to quit Weekly Independent as editor. Similar threats were conveyed to me after I joined Herald as senior assistant editor and filed a few investigative reports about differences within the Army under General Musharraf’s command.
“A few weeks before my forced exit from Weekly Independent in June 2003, Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed met me in Lahore at the Pearl Continental Hotel and informed me that General Musharraf has directed the ISI chief to teach me a lesson for trying to tarnish the image of the armed forces of Pakistan. He advised me to change the policy of the Weekly to avoid the wrath of the General. Another such message was conveyed to me by Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi in a meeting at his Zahoor Elahi road residence in Lahore which was also attended by the Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari and the Punjab Union of Journalists President Bakhatgeer Chaudhry.
“The Chief Minister informed that after inaugurating the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore March 17, 2003, General Pervez Musharraf presided over a high level meeting at the Governor House which was attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt Gen Zarrar Azeem, Punjab Governor Lt Gen (retd) Khaled Maqbool the then Inter Services Public Relations Director General Major General Rashid Qureshi, Secretary of National Security Council Tariq Aziz, Punjab Home Secretary Brig Ejaz Shah and others. The issue of Weekly Independent came under discussion. According to him, the participants of the meeting were unanimous in their view that Weekly Independent was working against the national interests by tarnishing the image of the armed forces.
“The chief minister said that he had gathered the impression from the proceedings of the meeting that the warning given by Ejaz Shah to Weekly Independent was actually motivated by the military side (General Musharraf). Pervez Elahi said that the participants of the meeting were bent upon taking action against Weekly Independent but he somehow prevailed upon them and sought a last chance for the newspaper. The chief minister said this strictly off the record. Pervaiz Elahi said he had given a commitment to the high-ups that the editorial staff of the weekly would be asked to review what they called its "anti-army policy". He assured us that the paper would not be closed down, if it changed its “anti-army stance”. When I reminded the chief minister that he was actually endorsing the threat conveyed by his home secretary, he said they [the Chief Minister and the home secretary both] should only be considered as messengers of the federal government.
“I told the Chief Minister that it is the army which is damaging (the national interest) itself by indulging in politics with the army chief wearing the president’s cap. But the chief minister insisted that the publication should not carry anything about the army anymore. He said that ignoring his advice could cause serious damage to the business interests of the newspaper owner as the khaki tops brass seriously wanted to proceed against him.”
Eventually when the owner of the Weekly Independent, basically a businessman, succumbed to government pressure, he decided to change the policy of the paper besides removing Amir Mir from the editorship. Mir subsequently joined the Monthly Herald owned by the Dawn Group of Newspapers as Senior Assistant Editor in Lahore and continued his battle over there. The management of the Herald, however, could not print Amir Mir’s name or designation at the magazine under its masthead for fear of the establishment intervening again against the man who had been ‘banned’ from writing in any Pakistani publication. This did not help, however as the decision makers in the mighty establishment circles were still not happy when his name was brought under scrutiny once again.
Amir Mir was criticized by the establishment circles for writing articles which damaged Pakistan’s ‘national interest’ as well as standing in the world. Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, the former spokesman of the Pakistan Army used to accuse Mir of being an ‘Indian agent’ because the latter writings in Outlook, an Indian news magazine. Mir had subsequently claimed harassment from intelligence officials and reportedly told his friends and family that Pervez Musharraf was to be held responsible for any harm to his life or person. In a report highlighting threats to press freedom in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch claimed in December 2003 that Amir Mir had been threatened by none other than General Pervez Musharraf, adding that Mir’s car was set on fire outside his Lahore residence in November, 2003 as an act of intimidation and harassment.
On November 20, 2003, at a reception for the Pakistani newspaper editors in Islamabad, you reportedly condemned Monthly Herald for being "anti-army" and working against the "national interest". You are reported to have referred to several stories published in the magazine under Amir Mir's byline to illustrate your point. Some of the journalists present suggested that the government's complaints be channeled through the proper forum (in this case the Council of Pakistani Newspaper Editors (CPNE)). You reportedly dismissed the suggestion, arguing that the time had come for the Herald and Mir to be "dealt with". Your information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, reportedly concurred with your comments. Your general objections to the coverage of specific issues was widely reported in the Pakistani press the following day. Two days later, three unidentified persons set Amir Mir's car ablaze outside his house, endangering not just him and his family but also neighboring homes. Subsequently, Mir received a message purporting to be from the ISI claiming responsibility for the attack and warning that this was "just the beginning".
Since the 1999 military coup that brought you to power, the Herald has highlighted the suppression of civil liberties and the progressive undermining of civilian institutions in Pakistan. It is one of Pakistan's most highly regarded periodicals, well known for high standards of journalism and the integrity and honesty of its staff. It is the duty of the government of Pakistan to protect the lives and property of Herald staff, along with all other journalists in the country.
If you did not make these statements, Human Rights Watch urges you to publicly disassociate yourself and your government from them. If you did, we urge you to publicly retract them. In either case, it is imperative for you and your government to assure the safety of Amir Mir and take all necessary measures to protect him and other journalists.”
A similar letter written to General Musharraf along with then Prime Minister of Pakistan Zafarullah Khan Jamali, by Ann K. Cooper, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 8th December 2003 (http://cpj.org/2003/12/journalist-threatened-attacked.php), stated: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about recent attacks and threats against Amir Mir, senior assistant editor of the English-language monthly the Herald.
The letter stated: “In what appears to be a campaign of intimidation, in June Mir was forced to resign as editor of the Weekly Independent, a Lahore-based, English-language newspaper, under pressure from local government officials who accused the paper of running articles that were "against the national interest" and of having an "anti-army policy." Mir then went to work for the Herald, a magazine known for its critical articles about your administration. Mir says that during the last few months, he has continued to receive threats from government officials who ordered him to stop writing against the army and told him that Your Excellency was personally angry with him for his articles about the military. On November 21, local Pakistani newspapers reported that Your Excellency allegedly made critical comments about the Herald in a meeting with a group of newspaper editors on November 20. According to local news reports, you accused the magazine of "damaging our national interest."
The letter added: “On November 22, three unidentified assailants set fire to Mir's car, which was parked in front of his house in Lahore. Mir says he received a phone call on November 23 from a member of the Inter-Services Intelligence government security agency telling him that this was "just the beginning." In response to criticism of these attacks against Mir, on December 4, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied that Your Excellency had made the reported critical comments and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to press freedom, saying that the government would "safeguard and protect freedom of the press as it believes that a free and vibrant media are essential for the consolidation of democracy."
The letter concluded: “As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to defending our colleagues worldwide, CPJ respectfully asks Your Excellency to fulfill your pledge to respect the rights of journalists to safely and freely report the news without fear of harassment or reprisal from government officials. We will continue to monitor events in Pakistan closely to ensure that Mir and other journalists are not threatened or intimidated for their reporting”.
As then Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali reached France on an official visit on December 8, 2003, the Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) wrote a letter to the French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, urging him to take up the Pakistan government’s intimidation campaign against investigative journalist Amir Mir that has been ongoing since March 2003. (http://www.ifex.org/pakistan/2003/12/08/rsf_condemns_threats_against_journalist/). On 22 November, 2003, unidentified persons set fire to Amir Mir's car and shots were fired outside his home in Lahore, in the eastern province of Punjab. The government denied any involvement in the incidents, although they followed a long series of threats and acts of harassment against Mir by senior military and civilian officials, including Information Minister Rasheed Ahmed and the head of military intelligence in Punjab, Arslan Ali Khan. General Rashid Qureshi also accused Mir of being an "Indian agent" because of an article he wrote in the Indian magazine "Outlook".
The RSF letter stated: “Now deputy editor of the English-language monthly “Herald”, Mir told RSF he fears for his life. “I am now being conveyed 'friendly' messages to leave Pakistan . . . I've already told my near and dear ones that if any harm is done to me, General Musharraf should be directly held responsible . . . I am really concerned for the safety of my family." On 7 November 2003, dozens of journalists in Islamabad demonstrated in support of Mir. The recent acts of intimidation came after President Musharraf told a meeting of leading newspaper editors on 20 November that the editors of the “Herald” and monthly “Newsline” had not been invited because they published articles that "damaged Pakistan's international image”. In response to a question about the presence in Pakistan of Dawood Ibrahim, a reputed member of an Indian crime organisation, Musharraf said certain Pakistani newspapers published harmful reports that supported Indian allegations and therefore damaged Pakistan's national interests. The August and November issues of the “Herald” carried investigative reports by Amir Mir on the matter.
The RSF letter further stated: “On 18 March 2003, when Amir Mir was still editor of the “Weekly Independent”, he publicly alleged that he had received threats from the Punjab state security minister, a former head of the ISI, Pakistan's secret service. Mir was forced to resign from his “Weekly Independent" post on 13 June 2003 after several months of pressure to change his editorial line. The "Weekly Independent" claimed that President Musharraf himself chaired a meeting in Lahore at which it was decided to take concrete measures against the magazine, including the withdrawal of all government and state sector advertising. In a 12 June editorial, Mir wrote that it was not easy to keep a newspaper operating in a country where the army dominates politics and the security forces call up newspaper editors and owners to tell them what they can and cannot publish”.
Amir Mir’s stint with the Monthly Herald of the Dawn Group of Newspapers could only last till June 2005, when he was eventually asked by the management of the magazine to resign as the organisation was under ‘immense pressure’ from the Musharraf regime to get rid of him. Mir was left with no other option but to look for a writing job with a foreign newspaper since no Pakistani media group was willing to hire him for fear of the Musharraf administration. This began his job(s) with the Gulf News (UAE), Weekly Tehelka (India), EFE (Spanish News Agency), Reuters (UK), South Asian Intelligence Review (India), Inter Press Service (Philippines), Daily News and Analysis DNA (India).
In January 2006 Mir appeared in a newly-launched English daily from Lahore, The Post, as a columnist. His columns were objective, newsy and investigative. However, in January 2008, the editor of the newspaper asked him to get the ‘topics of his columns approved by the management before sending them in’. Mir quit.
Mir has been criticised within Pakistan for writing articles that are claimed to be damaging to Pakistan's standing in the world. Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi of the Pakistani army accused Mir of being an "Indian agent" after he published an article in Outlook
, an India
n news magazine. Mir has claimed harassment from officials in the Pakistani government and has reportedly told friends and family that President Pervez Musharraf was to be held responsible for any harm to his life or person. In a report highlighting threats to press freedom in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch
claimed that Mir had been threatened by Musharraf, and claimed that Mir's car was set on fire in November, 2003 as an act of intimidation and harassment.
that 687 civilians and only 14 high-value Al Qaeda targets were killed so far in the strikes. On February 1, 2010, Mir also stated that 123 civilians and 3 Al Qaeda fighters were killed in 10 drone strikes in January of 2010. The Jamestown Foundation
criticized Mir's numbers, stating that there had been 16.5 suspected militants killed for every civilian as of June 2010, according to the foundation's analysis of Western and Pakistani news sources. The Long War Journal, through reports from various media outlets and US intelligence officials, also estimated in July of 2011 that the drone strikes in Pakistan had killed 2,018 militants and only 138 civilians since 2006.
“The APNS award in the category of the Best Investigative Report goes to Mr. Amir Mir of Monthly Herald. But the award cannot be given to him right now and the president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) would honour Amir Mir once the award distribution ceremony is over,” declared the senior vice president of the APNS who was conducting the annual award distribution ceremony in Islamabad on May 26, 2006. In the audience was present the chief guest of the function — General Pervez Musharraf, in his capacity as the President of Pakistan.
The announcement surprised me. Here I was sitting in the hall of a five-star hotel, waiting to receive the prestigious souvenir for which I had travelled all the way from Lahore. Yet, I must confess, I had prepared myself for any eventuality — the very presence of General Musharraf prompts such caution. The script for the ceremony was supposed to be a trifle different. Let me explain: a little before the ceremony began, at the time of entering the hall, I had handed over a letter to the APNS President.
The letter expressed, in as polite words as possible, my inability to receive the award “from a military dictator — General Pervez Musharraf — who has trampled the Constitution time and again since his military takeover in October 1999 and has no respect for the supreme law of the land.” Ask yourself: can you receive an award for best investigative report from a man who doesn’t believe in freedom of expression and can’t tolerate opinions different from his? Mockery, too, must have its limits.
My letter to the APNS president said, “Journalism is a sacred profession, whose foundation lies on freedom of _expression. But on the contrary, the APNS has invited a military dictator as chief guest for the distribution of awards, who has no respect for the basic principle of press freedom. Being a military dictator, he neither believes in freedom of expression nor tolerates difference of opinion. Therefore, although honoured much by the APNS, my receiving the award from a military dictator would be a stain on the worthy souvenir.”
At the same time, I made it clear in my letter that I do not want to relinquish the opportunity to receive my award, and that also without creating any fuss in the ceremony. I therefore asked the APNS president to ensure that during the award distribution ceremony, I am given my award either by him or by any other senior journalist. But hardly had I handed over the letter to the APNS president, a war of words ensued. The APNS was unwilling, for innumerable reasons, to spoil the ceremony or annoy the man who was both the Chief of the Army Staff and the President of Pakistan.
To wrap things up, the announcement by the stage secretary that I cannot be given the award was enveloped in disappointment, since my award was the first one in the queue and I was kind of hopeful that the APNS would do something to give me my award, yet it was a faint hope and nothing else. All I had done was exercise my freedom of expression and my right to freedom. Yet I was denied my right in a gathering where pledges of press freedom, freedom of _expression and speech were being renewed. The APNS award distribution ceremony still flashes across my eyes as a great big farce, clearly depicting the true picture of the state of press freedom in Pakistan.”
Amir Mir is a former editor of Weekly Independent - a hardcore news magazine which became a direct target of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s absolutism. Having started his journalistic career in 1988 with the English daily The Frontier Post, he has served numerous newspaper organisations in Pakistan and abroad: The News, The Nation, The Post, The Friday Times, Weekly Independent, Herald, Newsline, Reuters, Spanish News Agency, Gulf News, Arab News, Weekly Outlook, Weekly Tehelka, Daily News & Analysis (DNA), Rediff.com, Inter Press Service (IPS), Asia Times Online (AToL), etc.
Biography
Amir Mir graduated from Pakistan’s historic Government College University in Lahore with majors in Political Science, Sociology and Psychology. He started his career as a reporter while he was a student of Master’s degree in Political Science Department at University of the Punjab Lahore in the year 1989 while he was 20 years of age. The most he achieved, however, as a potential journalist was when he became a part of Pakistan’s leading English daily The News International and worked as a key team member of the News Bureau of Investigation, (NBI). During that period of time (1993-2001) a lot had gone awry on the political map of Pakistan and Mir wrote extensively on those issues. Along with The News, Mir also used to write for various publications home and abroad such as the Inter Press Service (IPS), the Straits Times, the Gulf News and weekly The Friday Times (TFT) and Monthly Newsline.Criticism of Musharraf
Amir Mir has been an outspoken critic of former Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, condemning him as a military dictator who violated Pakistan's democracy and constitution. When he was declared the best reporter of 2005 by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), he refused to accept the award as it was to be presented by Musharraf. He also criticised the APNS for inviting Musharraf, who Mir said was a military dictator who did not respect the freedom of expression. In his book The True Face of Jehadis: Inside Pakistan's Network of Terror, Mir claims that Musharraf himself believes in Islamic fundamentalismIslamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
. Mir accuses Musharraf of making half-hearted efforts to curb radical Islamic groups operating in Pakistan.
Troubled Stint as Editor of Weekly Independent
In early 2001, Amir Mir left daily The News, Weekly The Friday Times and Monthly Newsline to launch an English news magazine – Weekly Independent - as the project director cum editor. The weekly had a clear stated policy – Truth reigns Supreme. In one of his editorials for Weekly Independent, when multiple problems were being churned out for the paper by Musharraf’s henchmen, Mir wrote, “The magazine has already spelled out its editorial policy, saying: Weekly Independent has been critical of General Pervez Musharraf's dictatorial policies in so far as these have weakened democratic institutions. This publication has demanded the repeal of the controversial Legal Framework Order, advocated supremacy of the parliament, called in question frequent government attempts to change the loyalties of the elected representatives through pressure and bribes, and opposed attempts to impose a personal rule. The Weekly has further exposed the acts of commission and omission that have strengthened extremist tendencies which have taken a heavy toll on life, tattered the social fabric and isolated the country internationally. It has also exposed corruption and misuse of authority by those in power which is one of the vital functions of the independent press, particularly so in the Third World countries. It has clarified that the government and the state are by no means synonymous and criticizing the former can by no stretch of imagination be interpreted as an attack on the latter. In view of its principled stance thus, the Weekly asks the government to define its policy regarding those sponsoring the moves aimed at injuring the press and pressing the media to act in line with the military government’s policies.” (Source: Weekly Independent May 2003)A hardcore news magazine which carried write ups and columns from senior and well reputed writers and hard hitting breaking news reports exposing the misdeeds of the Musharraf regime, made Weekly Independent highly respected amongst the journalistic fraternity. At the same time, however, it caused immense problems for Amir Mir and the management of the Weekly. Other than financial problems that the Weekly had to face at the hands of the then Punjab government led by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi which had withheld all public advertisements from the paper for almost a year, the editor particularly had to stand against all odds to protect the sanctity of the journalistic spirit of the paper. As per a back page item that appeared in one of the issues of the Weekly Independent in March 2003:
“The Home Secretary of the Punjab Province and a former top intelligence sleuth, Brigadier Ejaz Hussain Shah (retd) has in a lack of graciousness hurled a telephonic threat on Weekly Independent, saying “Enough is enough. The Punjab government has finally decided to proceed against your paper for working against the national interest”. For years Pakistan's vocal press has been pressurized and cajoled. “Working against the national interest” has been a favorite Establishment excuse to shut off the press whom it takes as an adversary. But we need a clarification from the federal and the Punjab governments if the squeeze or the threat is official?”
Leaving Independent
While penning down his last editorial for Weekly Independent on June 12, 2003 titled “Principles are Supreme” (http://www.weeklyindependent.com/editorial.htm), Amir Mir wrote: “When we launched Weekly Independent on August 3, 2001, we vowed to make the journal a guardian of the people's rights. This meant defending the fledgling democracy in Pakistan from onslaughts of the mighty military establishment, always waiting in the wings to derail it, and at the same time exposing corruption and dishonesty on the part of the high and mighty. The independent policy of the Weekly was bound to invite the establishment's wrath which soon made it clear that the publication could not get its due quota of the government advertisement unless it stopped carrying news reports and comments that embarrassed the military regime [of unconstitutional, illegal and self-appointed 'Pakistani' President General Pervez Musharraf]. But refusing to yield on principles, the paper continued to criticise the undue involvement of the [Pakistan] Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] in the national politics. The establishment's pressure on the Weekly subsequently assumed the form of intimidatory tactics.The editorial went on to state: “In March this year, the regime redoubled its moves to harass the editorial staff as well as the chief executive of the paper. The Home secretary, Punjab, a retired brigadier and former chief of Punjab ISI, called the Chief Executive and told him to roll-back operations of the paper immediately if he wanted to stay in business and stay safe. Similar threats were conveyed to the editorial staff. The matter was brought to the notice of the national and international journalist organisations. The strong protests by the journalist community put the administration on the defensive and direct intimidation was suspended for the time being. However, more devious ways to throttle the paper were adopted, and the private sector companies were compelled to stop putting ads in the Weekly Independent.
The Editorial further added: “The paper, however, refused to bargain on its independent policy position and continued to oppose anti-democracy measures introduced by the first commando 'President' of Pakistan. The paper criticised General Musharraf for usurping powers of the elected Parliament, pleading that he should not simultaneously hold the civilian and military slots of the President and the Army Chief. Through its editorials, the paper pleaded for national reconciliation by allowing the exiled political leadership to return to the country in safety and without any fear of further intimidation. As the Weekly refused to change its independent editorial policy by toeing the establishment's line, the regime decided to launch a fresh assault against the editorial staff and the investors. Last month, an Islamabad-based news agency, financed by the federal government and protected by General Musharraf's closest aide, ran a report claiming that the Jamali-led Musharraf government was investigating the Editor of Weekly Independent for indulging in anti-Musharraf, anti-Army and anti-Pakistan 'propaganda' with the financial assistance given by exiled leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The move, however, again failed to deter the paper from pursuing independent journalism.
The editorial further stated: “Another malicious report was subsequently planted in an Urdu newspaper early this month, saying that the government agencies had launched an inquiry against the owner of the publication for allegedly receiving millions of rupees from Saudi Arabia, where Sharif is living in exile, to malign General Musharraf and the Pakistan Army. As all such devious moves failed to weaken the resolve of the paper to continue its struggle for people's rights and a genuine democratic polity, a fresh attempt is now afoot to suppress the independent voice. A libel notice served on the paper on behalf of General Musharraf's right-hand-man Tariq Aziz Warraich, Secretary, National Security Council, demands payment of Rs 50,000,000 and an apology for two reports we carried in the recent past.
The editorial concluded: “We would like to inform our readers that Weekly Independent is under tremendous government pressure right now, though its resolve to stick to an independent policy remains unshaken. In a country where Army dominates the polity, and officials of the security agencies telephone editors and financiers to tell them what their publications should or should not contain, publishing a journal with an independent and honest approach is no easy job. Anyone dedicated to the ideals of our founding fathers who wanted to see Pakistan as a modern democratic state, with the Army being subservient to the elected Parliament, would endorse the editorial policy of the magazine. We have tried our best to maintain independence of the Weekly, and would continue to withstand the government pressure as long as we are allowed to pursue an independent policy”.
A special report carried by the Washington-based web newspaper South Asia Tribune on June 16, 2003, titled “Editor of Weekly Independent resigns under government pressure (http://satribune.com/archives/jun15_21_03/P1_mirresigns.htm) stated: “Amir Mir, Pakistan’s young but fiercely independent Editor of “Weekly Independent”, a hard hitting Lahore journal, resigned on June 13 [2003] under relentless government pressure which forced the owners to change the newspaper policy. It was yet another proof that the Musharraf Government was ruthlessly coming down on dissent and even a weekly with moderate circulation was not tolerated. “Weekly Independent” was uncompromising under Editor Amir Mir who is now jobless as his owners informed him in writing that they were changing the policy to favor the military regime of the self-appointed Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf. Amir Mir had become a problem for the Army regime to the extent that General Musharraf himself presided over a meeting in Lahore and ordered action against the paper”, according to a document posted by Weekly on its website (http://www.weeklyindependent.com/backpage1.htm).
In a telephonic conversation, Amir Mir told South Asia Tribune: “I had been receiving threats of dire consequences from the top notches of the ISI Punjab for the past six months, even before I was made to quit Weekly Independent as editor. Similar threats were conveyed to me after I joined Herald as senior assistant editor and filed a few investigative reports about differences within the Army under General Musharraf’s command.
“A few weeks before my forced exit from Weekly Independent in June 2003, Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed met me in Lahore at the Pearl Continental Hotel and informed me that General Musharraf has directed the ISI chief to teach me a lesson for trying to tarnish the image of the armed forces of Pakistan. He advised me to change the policy of the Weekly to avoid the wrath of the General. Another such message was conveyed to me by Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi in a meeting at his Zahoor Elahi road residence in Lahore which was also attended by the Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari and the Punjab Union of Journalists President Bakhatgeer Chaudhry.
“The Chief Minister informed that after inaugurating the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore March 17, 2003, General Pervez Musharraf presided over a high level meeting at the Governor House which was attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt Gen Zarrar Azeem, Punjab Governor Lt Gen (retd) Khaled Maqbool the then Inter Services Public Relations Director General Major General Rashid Qureshi, Secretary of National Security Council Tariq Aziz, Punjab Home Secretary Brig Ejaz Shah and others. The issue of Weekly Independent came under discussion. According to him, the participants of the meeting were unanimous in their view that Weekly Independent was working against the national interests by tarnishing the image of the armed forces.
“The chief minister said that he had gathered the impression from the proceedings of the meeting that the warning given by Ejaz Shah to Weekly Independent was actually motivated by the military side (General Musharraf). Pervez Elahi said that the participants of the meeting were bent upon taking action against Weekly Independent but he somehow prevailed upon them and sought a last chance for the newspaper. The chief minister said this strictly off the record. Pervaiz Elahi said he had given a commitment to the high-ups that the editorial staff of the weekly would be asked to review what they called its "anti-army policy". He assured us that the paper would not be closed down, if it changed its “anti-army stance”. When I reminded the chief minister that he was actually endorsing the threat conveyed by his home secretary, he said they [the Chief Minister and the home secretary both] should only be considered as messengers of the federal government.
“I told the Chief Minister that it is the army which is damaging (the national interest) itself by indulging in politics with the army chief wearing the president’s cap. But the chief minister insisted that the publication should not carry anything about the army anymore. He said that ignoring his advice could cause serious damage to the business interests of the newspaper owner as the khaki tops brass seriously wanted to proceed against him.”
Eventually when the owner of the Weekly Independent, basically a businessman, succumbed to government pressure, he decided to change the policy of the paper besides removing Amir Mir from the editorship. Mir subsequently joined the Monthly Herald owned by the Dawn Group of Newspapers as Senior Assistant Editor in Lahore and continued his battle over there. The management of the Herald, however, could not print Amir Mir’s name or designation at the magazine under its masthead for fear of the establishment intervening again against the man who had been ‘banned’ from writing in any Pakistani publication. This did not help, however as the decision makers in the mighty establishment circles were still not happy when his name was brought under scrutiny once again.
Amir Mir was criticized by the establishment circles for writing articles which damaged Pakistan’s ‘national interest’ as well as standing in the world. Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, the former spokesman of the Pakistan Army used to accuse Mir of being an ‘Indian agent’ because the latter writings in Outlook, an Indian news magazine. Mir had subsequently claimed harassment from intelligence officials and reportedly told his friends and family that Pervez Musharraf was to be held responsible for any harm to his life or person. In a report highlighting threats to press freedom in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch claimed in December 2003 that Amir Mir had been threatened by none other than General Pervez Musharraf, adding that Mir’s car was set on fire outside his Lahore residence in November, 2003 as an act of intimidation and harassment.
World Organizations on Mir's case
A letter written by Brad Adams, Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch on 2nd December 2003 to General Pervez Musharraf (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&spell=1&q=cache:fosSE0V4jAIJ:http://www.hrcpweb.org/showdocument.asp?id=11+Human+rights+watch+highlights+amir+mir%27s+case&ct=clnk) stated: “The case of Amir Mir, former editor of the Islamabad-based Weekly Independent, and current Senior Assistant Editor of the monthly magazine Herald, is a startling example. Human Rights Watch investigations confirm that in June this year, the publishers of the Independent were coerced into forcing Mir to resign through threats of violence. Evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch suggests the involvement of military personnel from the intelligence agencies of the Pakistan Army (in particular the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)).On November 20, 2003, at a reception for the Pakistani newspaper editors in Islamabad, you reportedly condemned Monthly Herald for being "anti-army" and working against the "national interest". You are reported to have referred to several stories published in the magazine under Amir Mir's byline to illustrate your point. Some of the journalists present suggested that the government's complaints be channeled through the proper forum (in this case the Council of Pakistani Newspaper Editors (CPNE)). You reportedly dismissed the suggestion, arguing that the time had come for the Herald and Mir to be "dealt with". Your information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, reportedly concurred with your comments. Your general objections to the coverage of specific issues was widely reported in the Pakistani press the following day. Two days later, three unidentified persons set Amir Mir's car ablaze outside his house, endangering not just him and his family but also neighboring homes. Subsequently, Mir received a message purporting to be from the ISI claiming responsibility for the attack and warning that this was "just the beginning".
Since the 1999 military coup that brought you to power, the Herald has highlighted the suppression of civil liberties and the progressive undermining of civilian institutions in Pakistan. It is one of Pakistan's most highly regarded periodicals, well known for high standards of journalism and the integrity and honesty of its staff. It is the duty of the government of Pakistan to protect the lives and property of Herald staff, along with all other journalists in the country.
If you did not make these statements, Human Rights Watch urges you to publicly disassociate yourself and your government from them. If you did, we urge you to publicly retract them. In either case, it is imperative for you and your government to assure the safety of Amir Mir and take all necessary measures to protect him and other journalists.”
A similar letter written to General Musharraf along with then Prime Minister of Pakistan Zafarullah Khan Jamali, by Ann K. Cooper, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 8th December 2003 (http://cpj.org/2003/12/journalist-threatened-attacked.php), stated: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about recent attacks and threats against Amir Mir, senior assistant editor of the English-language monthly the Herald.
The letter stated: “In what appears to be a campaign of intimidation, in June Mir was forced to resign as editor of the Weekly Independent, a Lahore-based, English-language newspaper, under pressure from local government officials who accused the paper of running articles that were "against the national interest" and of having an "anti-army policy." Mir then went to work for the Herald, a magazine known for its critical articles about your administration. Mir says that during the last few months, he has continued to receive threats from government officials who ordered him to stop writing against the army and told him that Your Excellency was personally angry with him for his articles about the military. On November 21, local Pakistani newspapers reported that Your Excellency allegedly made critical comments about the Herald in a meeting with a group of newspaper editors on November 20. According to local news reports, you accused the magazine of "damaging our national interest."
The letter added: “On November 22, three unidentified assailants set fire to Mir's car, which was parked in front of his house in Lahore. Mir says he received a phone call on November 23 from a member of the Inter-Services Intelligence government security agency telling him that this was "just the beginning." In response to criticism of these attacks against Mir, on December 4, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied that Your Excellency had made the reported critical comments and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to press freedom, saying that the government would "safeguard and protect freedom of the press as it believes that a free and vibrant media are essential for the consolidation of democracy."
The letter concluded: “As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to defending our colleagues worldwide, CPJ respectfully asks Your Excellency to fulfill your pledge to respect the rights of journalists to safely and freely report the news without fear of harassment or reprisal from government officials. We will continue to monitor events in Pakistan closely to ensure that Mir and other journalists are not threatened or intimidated for their reporting”.
As then Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali reached France on an official visit on December 8, 2003, the Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) wrote a letter to the French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, urging him to take up the Pakistan government’s intimidation campaign against investigative journalist Amir Mir that has been ongoing since March 2003. (http://www.ifex.org/pakistan/2003/12/08/rsf_condemns_threats_against_journalist/). On 22 November, 2003, unidentified persons set fire to Amir Mir's car and shots were fired outside his home in Lahore, in the eastern province of Punjab. The government denied any involvement in the incidents, although they followed a long series of threats and acts of harassment against Mir by senior military and civilian officials, including Information Minister Rasheed Ahmed and the head of military intelligence in Punjab, Arslan Ali Khan. General Rashid Qureshi also accused Mir of being an "Indian agent" because of an article he wrote in the Indian magazine "Outlook".
The RSF letter stated: “Now deputy editor of the English-language monthly “Herald”, Mir told RSF he fears for his life. “I am now being conveyed 'friendly' messages to leave Pakistan . . . I've already told my near and dear ones that if any harm is done to me, General Musharraf should be directly held responsible . . . I am really concerned for the safety of my family." On 7 November 2003, dozens of journalists in Islamabad demonstrated in support of Mir. The recent acts of intimidation came after President Musharraf told a meeting of leading newspaper editors on 20 November that the editors of the “Herald” and monthly “Newsline” had not been invited because they published articles that "damaged Pakistan's international image”. In response to a question about the presence in Pakistan of Dawood Ibrahim, a reputed member of an Indian crime organisation, Musharraf said certain Pakistani newspapers published harmful reports that supported Indian allegations and therefore damaged Pakistan's national interests. The August and November issues of the “Herald” carried investigative reports by Amir Mir on the matter.
The RSF letter further stated: “On 18 March 2003, when Amir Mir was still editor of the “Weekly Independent”, he publicly alleged that he had received threats from the Punjab state security minister, a former head of the ISI, Pakistan's secret service. Mir was forced to resign from his “Weekly Independent" post on 13 June 2003 after several months of pressure to change his editorial line. The "Weekly Independent" claimed that President Musharraf himself chaired a meeting in Lahore at which it was decided to take concrete measures against the magazine, including the withdrawal of all government and state sector advertising. In a 12 June editorial, Mir wrote that it was not easy to keep a newspaper operating in a country where the army dominates politics and the security forces call up newspaper editors and owners to tell them what they can and cannot publish”.
Amir Mir’s stint with the Monthly Herald of the Dawn Group of Newspapers could only last till June 2005, when he was eventually asked by the management of the magazine to resign as the organisation was under ‘immense pressure’ from the Musharraf regime to get rid of him. Mir was left with no other option but to look for a writing job with a foreign newspaper since no Pakistani media group was willing to hire him for fear of the Musharraf administration. This began his job(s) with the Gulf News (UAE), Weekly Tehelka (India), EFE (Spanish News Agency), Reuters (UK), South Asian Intelligence Review (India), Inter Press Service (Philippines), Daily News and Analysis DNA (India).
In January 2006 Mir appeared in a newly-launched English daily from Lahore, The Post, as a columnist. His columns were objective, newsy and investigative. However, in January 2008, the editor of the newspaper asked him to get the ‘topics of his columns approved by the management before sending them in’. Mir quit.
Rejoining The News
It might come as a surprise to many that right after the Musharraf regime was weakened in the aftermath of the General Elections in 2008, Amir Mir was asked by the management of the biggest media conglomerate in Pakistan, the Jang Group of Newspapers, to rejoin The News Lahore as Deputy Editor. Amir has been holding this position since September 2008, besides being the Editor Investigations of the newspaper in Lahore.Publications
Amir Mir has so far authored four books on the subject of Islamic militancy and terrorism. While his first book - “The True Face of Jehadis” - was published by the Lahore-based Mashal Books in 2006, its Indian edition was published by the New Delhi-based Roli Books the same year. The Japanese edition got into print in 2008 by Tokyo-based The English Agency. The second book - “The Fluttering Flag of Jehad”- was also published by the Mashal Books in 2008. The third book - “Talibanization of Pakistan: From 9/11 to 26/11” was published by the New Delhi-based Pentagon Press in 2009. The fourth book – “The Bhutto Murder Trail: From Waziristan to GHQ” - was published in 2010 by the New Delhi-based Tranquebar Press, both in English and Hindi. Much before that, Amir Mir had co-authored - “Most Wanted: Profiles of Terror”– published by the Roli Books in 2002, in addition to writing foreword to another book “A to Z of Jehadi Organizations”, published by the Mashal Books in 2004.Mir has been criticised within Pakistan for writing articles that are claimed to be damaging to Pakistan's standing in the world. Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi of the Pakistani army accused Mir of being an "Indian agent" after he published an article in Outlook
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n news magazine. Mir has claimed harassment from officials in the Pakistani government and has reportedly told friends and family that President Pervez Musharraf was to be held responsible for any harm to his life or person. In a report highlighting threats to press freedom in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
claimed that Mir had been threatened by Musharraf, and claimed that Mir's car was set on fire in November, 2003 as an act of intimidation and harassment.
US drone strikes
Mir has been critical of US Predator drone attacks in Pakistan, stating that large numbers of civilians have been killed. On April 10, 2009, Mir told the Pakistan newspaper The News InternationalThe News International
The News International , published in tabloid size, is the largest English language newspaper in Pakistan. The News has an ABC certified circulation of 140,000. It is published from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad...
that 687 civilians and only 14 high-value Al Qaeda targets were killed so far in the strikes. On February 1, 2010, Mir also stated that 123 civilians and 3 Al Qaeda fighters were killed in 10 drone strikes in January of 2010. The Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet dissidents. Today its stated mission is to "inform and educate" policy makers about events and trends, which it regards as being of current "strategic"...
criticized Mir's numbers, stating that there had been 16.5 suspected militants killed for every civilian as of June 2010, according to the foundation's analysis of Western and Pakistani news sources. The Long War Journal, through reports from various media outlets and US intelligence officials, also estimated in July of 2011 that the drone strikes in Pakistan had killed 2,018 militants and only 138 civilians since 2006.
APNS Award and Mir's refusal for acceptance
When Amir Mir was declared the winner of APNS Award for Best Investigative Journalist in 2006, he refused to accept the award from the General, saying the dictator had trampled the Pakistani constitution time and again with his army boots. Below are given Amir Mir’s own words as published in an issue of the Weekly Outlook, Delhi in the month of June 2006.“The APNS award in the category of the Best Investigative Report goes to Mr. Amir Mir of Monthly Herald. But the award cannot be given to him right now and the president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) would honour Amir Mir once the award distribution ceremony is over,” declared the senior vice president of the APNS who was conducting the annual award distribution ceremony in Islamabad on May 26, 2006. In the audience was present the chief guest of the function — General Pervez Musharraf, in his capacity as the President of Pakistan.
The announcement surprised me. Here I was sitting in the hall of a five-star hotel, waiting to receive the prestigious souvenir for which I had travelled all the way from Lahore. Yet, I must confess, I had prepared myself for any eventuality — the very presence of General Musharraf prompts such caution. The script for the ceremony was supposed to be a trifle different. Let me explain: a little before the ceremony began, at the time of entering the hall, I had handed over a letter to the APNS President.
The letter expressed, in as polite words as possible, my inability to receive the award “from a military dictator — General Pervez Musharraf — who has trampled the Constitution time and again since his military takeover in October 1999 and has no respect for the supreme law of the land.” Ask yourself: can you receive an award for best investigative report from a man who doesn’t believe in freedom of expression and can’t tolerate opinions different from his? Mockery, too, must have its limits.
My letter to the APNS president said, “Journalism is a sacred profession, whose foundation lies on freedom of _expression. But on the contrary, the APNS has invited a military dictator as chief guest for the distribution of awards, who has no respect for the basic principle of press freedom. Being a military dictator, he neither believes in freedom of expression nor tolerates difference of opinion. Therefore, although honoured much by the APNS, my receiving the award from a military dictator would be a stain on the worthy souvenir.”
At the same time, I made it clear in my letter that I do not want to relinquish the opportunity to receive my award, and that also without creating any fuss in the ceremony. I therefore asked the APNS president to ensure that during the award distribution ceremony, I am given my award either by him or by any other senior journalist. But hardly had I handed over the letter to the APNS president, a war of words ensued. The APNS was unwilling, for innumerable reasons, to spoil the ceremony or annoy the man who was both the Chief of the Army Staff and the President of Pakistan.
To wrap things up, the announcement by the stage secretary that I cannot be given the award was enveloped in disappointment, since my award was the first one in the queue and I was kind of hopeful that the APNS would do something to give me my award, yet it was a faint hope and nothing else. All I had done was exercise my freedom of expression and my right to freedom. Yet I was denied my right in a gathering where pledges of press freedom, freedom of _expression and speech were being renewed. The APNS award distribution ceremony still flashes across my eyes as a great big farce, clearly depicting the true picture of the state of press freedom in Pakistan.”