by AHMAD EQBALABADI
The journalist Saleem Shahzad was found dead with torture marks on his face and a gunshot wound to his stomach, according to Pakistani media. PHOTO/Cristiano Camera/AFP/Getty Images/Guardian
This is the height of it. You find anyone who doesn’t tow the line of our “deep state” or becomes a potential threat to those linked with the “deep state” are not just beaten, but are killed. Syed Saleem Shehzad, a talented but “unaccomplished” journalist has been killed after abduction and torture. Why we say he was “unaccomplished” because he did not belong to Jang/The News, Dawn nor was part of the 20 who were briefed by the military post OBL operation.
Saleem Shehzad has been missing for the last few days and a number of friends and well wishers were fearing the worst for him. What was his crime? He was unearthing crimes of Al-Qaeda and Taliban and their links within the Deep State and the Military.
Apparently his last story called Al-Qaeda had warned of Pakistan strike is being touted as the straw that broke the camel’s back. According to Saleem’s report the attack on ”PNS Mehran naval air station in Karachi on May 22 (was a result of) after talks failed between the navy and al-Qaeda over the release of naval officials arrested on suspicion of al-Qaeda links”. His report highlighted that the attack on PNS Mehran was not a reaction to the killing of OBL but as a result of “a reaction to massive internal crackdowns on al-Qaeda affiliates within the navy”. He also linked the three attacks on naval buses in Karachi as a prequel to the attack on PNS Mehran.
However true Saleem’s story was, it was something for sure not liked by our “deep state”. Saleem was an easy target. He was not as well known unlike the Mirs, Abbasis, Khans, Hussains etc of Pakistan’s investigative journalism. He did not belong to the Jang Group, whose investigative journalists are fed information by the deep state and their henchmen on a regular basis. He was not just a journalist, but also an author of a book which was incidentally published on 20th May, 2011 only. His book is titled “Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11” [published by Pluto Books] which is considered as a “version of the ‘war on terror’ that has never been told. It will fascinate anyone concerned with the strategy and tactics of the most controversial Islamic movements.”
In the video clip below, his interview begins from 2 minutes onwards. In his interview to The Real News, Saleem mentioned that post 9-11, a number of army officials retired from service to become part of Al-Qaeda’s extended network. He also talked about the links of Ilyas Kashmiri with retired army officials. He also indicated the links of the retired officials in protecting Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad.
If you have to live in Pakistan, you have to abide by the rules set by the “Deep State”. I have been saying that our military and ISI will conduct one or a series of adventures thinking they’ll be able to redeem themselves. A senior columnist says “Yeh to ibtida-i-Ishq hai, agay dekh hota hai kya [This is the beginning of the love affair, let’s see what follows] … this is the result of the thrashing around of a wounded beast”.
We can only pray for Saleem Shehzad’s departed soul with a hope that our mainstream media will be able to see through their masters who will eventually kill them also if they have to. The Mirs, Abbasis, Khans, Hussains etc of Pakistan’s investigative journalism must know that today you are on the side of the “Deep State”, tomorrow you may not be. This is the time for you to wake up first before you do your rants against the government’s failure to protect journalists.
Ahmad Eqbalabadi is one of the editors at Let Us Build Pakistan.