Who made the call?

Who was the person, if not Hamid Mir, that talked to a terrorist and sealed the fate of the ex-ISI official, Khalid Khwaja? Who were the killers of Murtaza Bhutto if not those who were accused, tried, and then acquitted by the court? Who was the killer of Daniel Pearl if not Omar Saeed Shaikh who has been awaiting his fate since his arrest back in 2002? Who killed the daughter of the East, Benazir Bhutto, if not the person who was repeatedly shown on the TV channels carrying a pistol in his hand and targeting at Benazir? We may perhaps never know answers to all these questions during our life time but curiosity will continue haunting us to find the real culprits behind all those crimes.

There are claimers and disclaimers on the authenticity of the phone conversation that was allegedly held between the renowned journalist Hamid Mir and an associate of the newly emerged terrorist group, Asian Tigers. This conversation is claimed to have been made only a few weeks before the execution of the kidnapped ex-ISI official Khalid Khwaja who was himself a sympathiser and a supporter of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Taliban. Hamid Mir denied the voice of the tape-recording as his and sued the editor of the newspaper, Daily Times, for damages that the publication of a report by the newspaper caused him. In his recent column appeared in the Jang on 24 May 2010, Hamid Mir also came up with a story of a person called Nisar Butt who, according to him, can undetectably copy the voice of any person after listening to him for two or three times. Included in the same article was the story of an unknown mysterious caller who, impersonating himself as Pranab Mukherjee, India's Foreign Minister, and talked to the President Zardari soon after the Mumbai attack in 2008. He used these examples to prove that the local or international enemies of the country might have been behind this campaign to malign him for such a criminal act. What he intentionally or unintentionally avoided to talk about in this article was the revelation that the Dawn made later about this mysterious phone call to the President. According to the Dawn of 26 Nov, 2009, the person who made this call to the President was the famous Al-Qaeda man, Omar Saeed Shaikh. There was a mix response from the government agencies on this report but the reaction of Omar Saeed Shaikh was probably never ascertained. If he was questioned, he might have denied his involvement in it either. Why did Hamid Mir relate this story at this time when he is already suspected of making a highly objectionable phone conversation with a terrorist? In the absence of a reliable investigation report it is difficult to say that a journalist of his reputation and credibility can be a part of such a detestable act of crime. Is a kind of conspiracy being hatched against the journalist community by some hidden forces? Instead of taking a judgmental position on such a complex issue what we need is to take an analytical look at this incident from all possible angles.

Knowing that a tussle is going on between the government and the Jang group, there is a possibility that Hamid Mir is being targeted of some of kind of conspiracy. Why Hamid Mir only? There are other journalists from the same media group holding similar popularity with the government. Why did the conspirator, if there is any, choose him only for such a campaign? In a letter that Hamid Mir recently wrote to Washington Times, he said that one of his 'crimes' was that he wrote an article against a serving General of the Pakistan Army [current Major-General Nadeem Ijaz Ahmad, former Chief of Pakistan Army's Military Intelligence (MI) agency]. It may be true but knowing the influence of Hamid Mir one can't believe it either. What if Hamid Mir is playing a blame game against a government official who he suspects for hatching this conspiracy against him?

Aside from these claims and counter claims, let's take a look at an article that Hamir Mir wrote soon after the assassination of Khalid Khwaja. It was published in The News on 2 May 2010 with a title "What was the last mission of Khalid Khwaja? This article contains very valuable information on the causes of this murder and the most striking thing is the similarity that its contents have with the conversation of the audiotape. Did the mastermind of this conspiracy make use of the contents of this article in a crafty way to prepare the suspected audiotape? This logic doesn't apply either. The tape was claimed to have been made on 19 April 2010 and Khalid Khwaja was murdered on 30 April. Was the audiotape really made before the murder of Khalid Khwaja? From the conversation of the audiotape it is evident that it was made before the murder. Does it mean that the impersonator of Hamid Mir was shrewd enough to copy his voice and mind too? Sounds unbelievable? Look at the contents of the audiotape and the article closely and make your own judgement.

Article:
"His known contacts with some former CIA officials and an American businessman Mansoor Ijaz also created problems for him. He was intelligent enough in maintaining links with Americans and their critics like Hameed Gul at the same time."

Audiotape
HM(or his impersonator): "Khalid Khawaja, according to my opinion, is not an ISI man, rather he is a CIA agent, an American CIA agent and he has links with the Taliban leadership.

Article:
An unknown group of Punjabi Taliban, with the name of Asian Tigers, alleged that Khalid Khwaja was working for the ISI and the CIA but that was not the main reason behind his killing. "...The militants claimed that he(Khalid Khawaja) arranged a meeting between US Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes and a religious cleric Javed Ibrahim Paracha in 2005 in Serena Hotel, Islamabad. They also produced some articles downloaded from the Internet and asked about his links with former CIA officials, James Woolsey and William Casey."

Audiotape
HM(or his impersonator): He (Khawaja) himself has confessed in front me that he had links with William Casey. Ok! Leave William, ask him about the Qadiyanis?"

Article:
Javed Paracha also said that Khalid Khwaja came to his home on March 25 with Col Imam and a British journalist. Khawja wanted me to help him in his visit to North Waziristan. He said, "May be Khwaja was again trying to establish communication lines between the Americans and the Taliban but I received a clear message from Taliban that your friend is not welcome."

"Paracha claimed that he advised Khwaja not to go there. He said: "I also requested Col Imam not to take the risk. Col Imam was reluctant but Khwaja insisted and they left for Mir Ali against my advice."

Audiotape
HM(or his impersonator): Yes, Piracha Saab told me about that. He said, "He came to me and Col Imam was also here and told Col Imam that don't go anywhere with this guy." He (Piracha) said, "What can I do if he comes here and I can't force him out of my house, but you don't go anywhere with him." Mr Piracha said Col Imam didn't want to go with Khalid Khawaja, but he forced him to go with him.

Article:
The same year (2005) he arranged a meeting of an MMA parliamentarian Shah Abdul Aziz, a religious leader from Kohat, Javed Ibrahim Paracha and a pro-Taliban businessman Arif Qasmani with some top US officials, including Karen Hughes.

Audiotape:
Unknown Militant: ".... But Shah Abdul Aziz, that MNA of Kirk, is supporting him a lot. He was meeting everyone here and asking for his release."
Hamid Mir (or his impersonator): He would have fooled Shah Abdul Aziz.

Article:
"His (Khalid Khawaja's) known contacts with some former CIA officials and an American businessman Mansoor Ijaz also created problems for him. He was intelligent enough in maintaining links with Americans and their critics like Hameed Gul at the same time but unfortunately he could not anticipate the seriousness of his adversaries, who did not miss any opportunity to strike against friends and foes alike."

Audiotape:
HM (or his impersonator): I personally know that Khalid Khawaja has links not only with CIA but he is also a front man of Mansoor Ijaz who belongs to a very big international network of Qadiyanis. Once he came to me along with Mansoor, who had a briefcase with him, and Khalid Saab told me that Mansoor is a key representative of the US government, so arrange his meeting with Syed Salahuddin, who is a mujahideen leader, and he along with him would resolve the Kashmir issue."

Article:
The militants confronted him as to why on the one hand he was opposing the drone attacks but on the other hand he was trying to establish contacts between the USA and the Taliban.

Audiotape:
"HM(or his impersonator): Khalid Khawaja, according to my opinion, is not an ISI man, rather he is a CIA agent, an American CIA agent and he has links with the Taliban leadership.

These identical comments raise lots of questions but no reliable answer is conceivable as long as the mysteries surrounding this event remain shrouded. There were at least eight persons involved in this event. They were; Khalid Khawaja, Col. Imam, Asad Qureshi (British journalist), Javed Ibrahim Paracha, Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, General Aslam Baig, General Hamid Gul, and Hamid Mir if we consider the voice in the audiotape as his. Daily Times has already reported that the agencies have declared the voice on the tape as of Hamid Mir's. The two out of these eight persons, Col. Imam and Asad Qureshi, are in the custody of the Asian Tigers and one out of the remaining six was arrested the very next day of the assassination of Khalid Khwaja. He's the former member of the National Assembly Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz. The report appeared in The News on 1st May 2010 said, " Shah Abdul Aziz, known for his contacts with Taliban militants, was arrested on the day former ISI official Squadron Leader (R) Khalid Khwaja was shot dead by his kidnappers. The Karak Police said Shah Abdul Aziz, who was elected MNA on the MMA ticket in 2002 elections, was involved in instigating the people of Gurguri and other parts of Banda Daud Shah tehsil in Karak against the state. A case was also lodged against him with the Gurguri Police Station."

As reported, Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz was not arrested for reason related to the murder of Khalid Khwaja. His crime was; instigating the people of different tehsils in Karak against the state. If instigating the common people against the state is a crime then what about dealing with the insurgents that are at war with the state and causing deaths to the government officials and innocent civilians? A country that says it is at war with the extremists it means anybody dealing with them is committing a crime of dealing with the enemy or in other words it is an act of treason against the country. Treason is probably the highest crime for every country and Pakistan is no exception either. In its editorial of 17 May 2010, Daily Times wrote; "If these charges are proved against Mr Mir, he could attract the mischief of the Army Act and Pakistan Penal Code for aiding and abetting terrorists who have declared war on the state of Pakistan and against whom our forces are fighting and dying." If aiding and abetting the enemy is an act of treason how come Hamid Mir or his impersonator is alone blamed for it? Khalid Khwaja, Javed Ibrahim Paracha, Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, General Aslam Baig and General Hamid Gul are equally involved in it? Under what official authority did General Aslam Baig and General Hamid Gul send Khalid Khwaja on a mission to the FATA? In what capacity was Khalid Khwaja frequently visiting the Taliban in the past and why was he not arrested earlier for dealing with the terrorists? In his article titled, What was the last mission of Khalid Khwaja, Hamid Mir wrote; "He (Javed Paracha) said, "May be Khwaja was again trying to establish communication lines between the Americans and the Taliban but I received a clear message from Taliban that your friend is not welcome." It is evident that Javed Paracha and Khalid Khwaja were frequently dealing with the Taliban and it was his confidence on the Taliban that led Khwaja to make this trip to FATA and meet his fate.

Hamid Mir remains a suspect unless proven otherwise. However, since the other players in this game haven't denied their involvement in it so far, they stand responsible for dealing with the forces that are at war with the state. Hamid Mir seems to be a victim of a vicious plan that wants to single him out from the rest of the players and make him target of condemnation and criticism. What? Condemnation and criticism of a powerful media person like Hamid Mir? It isn't so easy in a country where all kinds of favouritisms, biases, and hatreds over rule the professional objectivism and honesty. Since the appearance of the audiotape news, not a single column appeared in the Jang that would have taken an analytical review of the report. All veteran journalists except Hamid Mir from the Jang newspaper are keeping silent. Geo TV is silent too and so does the other publications of the Jang group. Should this be called a silent support or a patient watch by the Urdu news media before lending any open support to Hamid Mir at this crucial time? Anyhow, Pakistan Taliban Tehrik (PTT) didn't take too long to declare the videotape fake. The videotape was leaked on 16 May 2010 and the very next day PTT came out with the following denial:

[Translation: ...We had no conversation with Hamid Mir, PTT Islamabad (PR): This press release on fake audiotape is issued by the Taliban Media Center. This audiotape is leaked by any secret agency and we strongly reject the authenticity of this tape because no conversation ever took place between us and Hamid Mir. We do talk to the different media personnel but, no doubt, we have no link or relationship with them. It seems that they (agency people) are conspiring to damage the image of Mujahideen and those brave people who want to expose the dark faces (of these conspirators) and bring the truth in front of the people. Suppose if we accept the audiotape as genuine then there will be a need to analyze in a similar way the videos of Sherry Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Salman Taseer. After the publication of the photos of the son and daughter of Salman Taseer can somebody tell the people that the person with loose appearance can be the governor of a province? What steps have the government agencies taken against them? ...Asian Tigers had a reason to kidnap Khalid Khwaja. ....What is the role of General Aslam Baig and General Hamid Gul? Ibrahim Paracha is an agent of both, XE and ISI. ....Who has allowed the PTCL without court permission to tape the telephone calls? By doing this PTCL has proven itself as the collaborators of the terrorists, i.e., the government of Pakistan, ISI, and Pakistan Army. If it happens again then the PTCL should be ready to face its consequences."]

What led the PTT to issue this denial when the conversation was allegedly held between Hamid Mir and the Asian Tigers? Is PTT showing its solidarity with Hamid Mir at this trying time? Considering this audiotape as an attempt to damage the image of the Taliban makes no sense when the Taliban themselves admit that the Asian Tigers had a reason and justification to kidnap Khalid Khwaja? It is an open admission that PTT was a party to the kidnapping and even in murdering of Khalid Khwaja. Involving Sherry Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto, and Salman Taseer into their press report is nothing but a kind of attempt to take sides with the ongoing tussle between the Jang group and the government. It could be a proverbial behaviour that says, "Enemies of my enemy are my friends." They even went one step ahead and warned the son of Khalid Khwaja with a similar fate to that of his father if any action was taken against the talk show host (Hamid Mir). Either the Taliban are too blind in support of Hamid Mir or they too have a secret agenda against him. Coming out with such warnings and disclaimers lead one to believe that there is something shady attached to this videotape leakage. Why did the Taliban warn the PTCL of facing dire consequences if they would record the phone calls again? It may be a coincidence or the result of the hatred spread against Qadiyanis in the suspected audiotape conversation that we lost over 94 precious human lives in Lahore on 28 May 2010 when the terrorists attacked on Ahmedi's mosques (sorry, it's Ahmedi's worship place in a legal terminology). Hamid Mir has condemned this incident very strongly in his article that appeared in the Jang on 31 May 2010. One can assume that those who suspected Hamir Mir of committing this crime may change their mind after reading this article.

Luckily, not many people are very well aware of this audiotape thanks to the self-imposed control by the Urdu media? Ask an Urdu newspaper's reader about this audiotape story and the response would be an empty stare at you with a note clearly written on his face saying, "I don't know what you are talking about?" There was a time when state monopoly on media ruled supreme and no information other than the one favoured by the state officials saw the light of the day. The game plan has now been changed. There are many media players now and most of them have formed up a cartel to let those voices heard only whom they find suitable to their particular interests and media plans. Long live freedom of press! Forget about the phone call and its tape-recording. It may be a fairy tale. Let's talk about corruption, NRO, fake degrees, clash of the government and judiciary, etc., etc.