On Saturday, Police registered a case against senior journalist and prominent TV anchor Hamid Mir on kidnapping charges.
The case has been registered after the Islamabad High Court issued the order a few days ago on a petition filed by Shamama Malik, the widow of Khalid Khawaja, who had allegedly been kidnapped from his house in Islamabad’s G-10/2 sector in March 2010.
The FIR has been registered at the Ramna police station in response to the complaint lodged by Ms. Malik. She had alleged previously that Hamid Mir and Usman Punjabi with the help of hooligans had kidnapped her husband Khalid Khawaja.
“The police also did not record the version of my son,” Ms. Malik alleges in her complaint
Later Khalid Khawaja’s bullet-riddled body was found in Karam Kot. The body was brought to Islamabad but an autopsy was not conducted. His widow has stated: “my son lodged a complaint at Shalimar police station over the incident, but no action was taken, except registration of a report.”
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“The police also did not record the version of my son,” Ms. Malik alleges in her complaint. She claims that her deceased husband and Hamid Mir had differences over the Lal Masjid operation.
When contacted, Hamid Mir termed the case as politically-motivated and an attempt to blackmail him.
Due to this, she claims, Hamid Mir and Usman Punjabi kidnapped Khawaja and murdered him, the FIR alleges. An audio conversation allegedly between Hamid Mir and Usman Punjabi over the issue has also been made part of the record at the Shalimar police station.
Media Reaction
Media persons, contacted by GVS, express surprise on this development. They say that an audio tape, allegedly of conversation between Usman Punjabi and Hamid Mir, was leaked by some hidden quarters on the net in 2010. Hamid Mir had denied the veracity of that conversation. However, media sources point out that, even in that disputed conversation, Usman Punjabi was heard inquiring about credentials of Khalid Khawaja from Hamid Mir who allegedly made irresponsible or negative comments about Khalid Khawaja. But Khalid Khawaja was then already in TTP’s custody and to argue that Hamid had played any role in Khalid Khawaja’s abduction by Taliban (TTP) does not make any sense. In those days, telephone conversations between media persons and TTP spokespersons were common and till 2010 TTP leaders often appeared on TV channel news bulletins and even programs to give their point of view.
Khalid Khawaja was then already in TTP’s custody and to argue that Hamid had played any role in Khalid Khawaja’s abduction by Taliban (TTP) does not make any sense. In those days, telephone conversations between media persons and TTP spokespersons were common and till 2010 TTP leaders often appeared on TV channel news bulletins and even programs to give their point of view.
Hamid was shot multiple times by unknown assailants in Karachi in April 2014, he survived miraculously. Geo had accused intelligence agency ISI and its head for that attack; however intelligence sources maintained that attack had something to do with supporters and sympathizers of Khalid Khawaja and Col. Imam – both were abducted and killed by TTP in 2011. Media sources argue that for the past several months, Hamid had been a vocal critic of Nawaz government and Khalid Khawaja’s widow approaching a court to register a case by police, at this stage, for investigations looks a sudden development from nowhere and thus strange.
Hamid Mir’s Reaction
When contacted, Hamid Mir termed the case as politically-motivated and an attempt to blackmail him. He complained that the court had issued the orders to the police without giving him an opportunity to present his defense.
He tweeted on Saturday saying that he won’t be silenced by decades-old cases.
It’s a 7 years old case I was cleared by courts in 2010 same case surfaced again in 2017 to silence my voice but fake cases can’t silence me https://t.co/VpiN9DshVT
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) 4 November 2017