First, we had to contend with the ignominy of the Abbottabad operation on the second day of May. Then, in the same month, we had to suffer the attack on the Mehran base in Karachi. In both cases, the real casualty was the morale of the nation. We are still shaken by the questions that have exploded in our minds.
And it was in this ghastly setting that investigative reporter Syed Saleem Shahzad was abducted from a street in Islamabad to be tortured and killed at an unknown location. His body was thrown in a faraway place, possibly with the intention that it would be buried without being identified and no trace of the crime found.
Now, we can see that these three incidents that took place in the searing month of May are connected together in the context of the ongoing saga of terrorist violence and how our ruling establishment has sought to deal with it. But it is the brutal murder of Saleem Shahzad that has touched us more deeply and has raised disturbing questions about the nature of the power and the purpose of our security agencies.
This is not to suggest that suspicions about the involvement of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives in the abduction of the journalist, who had chosen to explore the treacherous domain of terrorism, are found credible. On the contrary, scarier is the thought that our security agencies may have been totally in the dark about what happened to Saleem Shahzad.
In that case, are there groups, elements or forces in this country that are able to kidnap a battle-hardened journalist in broad daylight from a main thoroughfare of a city that is so extensively patrolled and protected by the police and other law enforcement agencies and then take him and his car somewhere out of Islamabad, keep him in some place and then do what one shudders to imagine, and abandon the car and the body in a desolate place, the entire operation taking nearly two days? Is this a true measure of the law and order in the presence of such a colossal security establishment?
Yes, Islamabad has witnessed a number of acts of terrorism and targeted killings. A suicide bombing takes place in the twinkling of an eye. Killers riding a motor-cycle would take a bit longer and they leave their victims on the spot. It was in Islamabad that Salmaan Taseer was murdered by his own guard on the fourth day of this eventful year. This was followed by the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, our federal minister for minority affairs, also in Islamabad.
Salmaan Taseer’s assassination, in fact, is a parable that illustrates the diabolical phenomenon of how those who are assigned to protect us can themselves pounce upon us, guided by primitive passions apparently nurtured in the hothouse of our national security doctrines. There is a lot of talk about how Pakistan has suffered the most in its war against terrorism. But why has this been so when we have such a massive, well-trained and efficient security apparatus? Is it not because we, at some level, have been playing both sides?
It would be an understatement to say that we are passing through very critical times and the sense of crisis has alarmingly deepened with some recent events. In fact, it is hard to keep a record of all our predicaments. There is Karachi, for instance, with its constant disarray and violence. The story of Balochistan, marked by absolute mayhem, is generally pushed to the periphery of our ‘breaking news’.
The latest outrage this week was the assassination of a respected Baloch intellectual, Saba Dashtiari, in Quetta. He was known for his affiliation with Baloch nationalists and for his views against the establishment. A little-known group of Islamic militants claimed the responsibility for his murder, proclaiming that others who are anti-jihad would meet the same fate.
Expressing its concern on the killing of teachers and political activists in Balochistan, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said that “the people may be excused for thinking that the security agencies’ job is to merely categorise murders”. The most tragic aspect of this situation is that bodies of missing Baloch nationalists are found in desolate places and it is obviously a message for others.
Was the kidnapping and brutal killing of Saleem Shahzad also intended as a message for other reporters who are assigned to cover the security situation? Incidentally, an ISI official has spoken to the official national news agency to state that the media was using the incident “to target and malign the country’s security agencies”. The official has asked the media to act with responsibility to avoid any possible legal course.
Such a clarification from ISI is quite exceptional and it reflects the impact that Saleem Shahzad’s killing has made headlines- and not just in Pakistan. What is important here is that he had himself conveyed through e-mail messages to certain relevant individuals that he had received death threats from some officials of security agencies.
In any case, it is now the task of all civilian and military intelligence and law enforcement agencies to solve this murder mystery, with credible evidence. We know how ineffective any commission of inquiry into this matter is going to be. Just look at the game the government is playing with the parliament’s unanimous resolution for an independent commission to thoroughly probe the Abbottabad operation. There is also the Mehran base affair and in both cases, the role of security agencies may be significant.
There is no doubt about the power that is wielded by the military and its security agencies. Though there have been reports in the media that allege possible links to security agencies in the killing of Saleem Shahzad, a lot self-censorship is generally involved in the coverage of a few areas, including the military. This impression that the Pakistani media is very free and fearless is quite deceptive.
In this context, again, we have to be mindful of the power and influence exercised by the military establishment with reference to investigative reportage. There surely is an element of caution in this relationship but the establishment should be pleased to have in place a number of very enthusiastic collaborators in the media.
Still, the events of May, particularly the killing of an intrepid newsman, have generated a surge of insecurity and fear. It is becoming obvious that one of the largest standing armies is not winning its battles against the enemy within. The budget, a momentary distraction, has further underlined the heartbreaking reality of how our resources are disbursed. But what do we get in return, except a devastating debacle in the lives of our people?
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