Saturday, November 13, 2010

GEO TV plays with the Innocent Lives, Hamper/Tamper with Investigation & Crime Scene.

Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza paid tribute to the personnel of the Sindh police and the Frontier Constabulary for fighting against terrorists with valour and bravery. He spoke against the terrorists as well as a section of private news channels for misreporting the figures of dead and wounded. “What system they [news channels] have evolved which informed them about the quantity of the explosives used in the blast, make and number of the engine before the police, the CID, the ISI and other law-enforcement agencies.” He accused the media of scaring the people and vowed to sue them in a court of law. - The forensic evidence was badly spoiled by the onslaught of media personal and unconcerned people at the crime scene. REFERENCES: Another MQM walkout over flood tax By Habib Khan Ghori http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/13/another-mqm-walkout-over-flood-tax.html Witnesses say some terrorists may have escaped By S. Raza Hassan http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/13/witnesses-say-some-terrorists-may-have-escaped-html


WITHOUT ANY DETAILED INVESTIGATION HOW DOES THE GEO TV/JANG GROUP KNOW THE "EXACT DETAILS"

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Terror revisits Karachi; 13 dead, 140 hurt

Updated at: 2200 PST, Thursday, November 11, 2010

Terror revisits Karachi; 13 dead, 140 hurt
KARACHI: At least 13 people have been killed and 140 others sustained injuries in a powerful blast at CID building located near Sindh Chief Minister House in a very sensitive area of the metropolis, Geo News reported Thursday. According to sources, the attacker(s) driving a truck, bearing number N 219121, and packed with 1000 kilograms of explosive material detonated it inside the premises of the building of Central Investigation Department (CID) located in the red zone of the metropolis, completely destroying the building.

Banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan took no time in claiming responsibility of the attack. It is pertinent to mention here that 6 terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were brought into the CID building yesterday for investigation. Just before the explosion, some terrorists came in another vehicle and traded gunshots with the police at the CID building, eyewitnesses said. Ambulances shifted the bodies and wounded to nearby hospitals where emergency has been declared. A number of houses located near Civil Lines were also damaged while the powerful shock wave released by the blast also shattered windowpanes of a number of surrounding buildings. Office of DSP Saddar was also partially damaged as a result of the blast which left a 10-12 ft deep crater on the ground at the site of the attack. Sindh Home Minister, Dr.Zulfiqar Mirza who reached the site of the blast said the attack appears similar to the one that targeted Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. He also said that a truck packed with explosives slammed into the CID building causing the massive blast. Heavy machinery has been made available at the blast site to remove the rubble. Death toll is feared to rise further as more people might have been buried under the debris. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani have expressed shock on the tragic incident and condemned it in the strongest terms. Both of them have ordered high level inquiry into the deadly attack in the heart of Karachi – the biggest city of Pakistan. REFERENCE: Terror revisits Karachi; 13 dead, 140 hurt Updated at: 2200 PST, Thursday, November 11, 2010 http://www.geo.tv/11-11-2010/74204.htm

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Senseless, Cruel and Third Rate Pakistani Media plays with the life of Innocent

Former president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas said that on the whole media’s role in the entire episode left a lot to be desired. “We go by the official version and don’t even use words like ‘alleged’. We (the media) must be very careful when an allegation is being levelled against someone,” said Mr Abbas. He said that the electronic media totally ignored these guidelines and did not even express regret if someone had been cleared by court or law-enforcers through an inquiry. “Throughout his ordeal, Faiz remained quite confident but we were devastated. We spent sleepless nights since Sunday when it all began,” his family members said. REFERENCE: ‘Therapy shoes’ passenger mulls action against ASF By S. Raza Hassan Saturday, 15 May, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/therapy-shoes-passenger-mulls-action-against-asf-550

Talking on the adjournment motion, Home Minster Dr Zulfiqar Mirza criticised the reporting of some media sections regarding the attack on the CID police headquarters. “We will knock the doors of judiciary against false reporting and sensationalism of media that is creating panic,” he said. The minister said the media claimed that about 1,000 kg explosives were used in attack and questioned if the terrorists had told the media about the weight or they had some laboratories to know the force of the blast? - Giving an example of incorrect reporting, Mirza said that a news channel claimed that around 1,000 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast even though no official confirmed that. “Did the terrorists inform the media houses directly or do they have laboratories where they can find out the force of the blast?” he questioned. REFERENCES: SA condemns attack on CID office By Masroor Afzal Pasha Saturday, November 13, 2010 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\13\story_13-11-2010_pg12_4 Mirza derides media for ‘incorrect’ reporting on blast November 13th, 2010. http://tribune.com.pk/story/76607/mirza-derides-media-for-incorrect-reporting-on-blast/

A Glimpse of Maddening Media Frenzy which caused serious Mental and Financial Shock to a Family

KARACHI, May 14: The Muscat-bound passenger detained at the airport on Sunday night and later given a security clearance by a joint interrogation team for wearing ‘therapy shoes’ is preparing to sue the Airport Security Force for damages, his family members told Dawn on Friday. Faiz Mohammad was detained by the ASF for wearing shoes fitted with electric circuit and batteries and was presented before the media as a potential “terrorist”. The 30-year-old bearded passenger was booked on a Thai Airways flight (TG-507) on May 9. He remained in custody for almost three days, though no FIR was registered against him. “Following his detention, Faiz was confident and explained to ASF officials that he had purchased the shoes from the market where they are readily available, but what left him shaken was that he was led away in handcuffs and presented before the electronic media [as a potential terrorist],” recalled Niaz Mohammad, who was present outside the airport at that time but was unable to do anything for his younger brother. It was through television channels that the family learnt about what Faiz was going through at the airport. They [the electronic media] were so quick to air the footage of Faiz that they did not even verify the facts, said Niaz, adding that the harrowing episode left his family traumatised and nearly jeopardised his brother’s career.

After thorough grilling, it turned out that Faiz was wearing the “Good Vibrations” shoes, described on a website as “designed to massage away the aches and a pain throughout the day rather than after the damage is done”. The Muscat police started their own investigations and visited the place of his residence and questioned Faiz’s friends. They finally cleared him of suspicion, said Niaz. Faiz, who was earlier working for a construction company, had a company visa which ended with his job there. He managed to set up a business there in partnership with some investors, who recently sent him a visa. However, they became scared when they learned about his ordeal. “They were about to cancel the visa some three days back, but we have persuaded them not to do so as things have been sorted out,” explained Niaz.

“Even when Faiz was being taken to the police station, we were told that he would be released soon, as there was no FIR or other incriminating evidence against him,” his elder brother said. But with so much media hype whipped up, it seemed that Faiz had already been convicted even without an FIR, his brother complained. Niaz said his brother’s passport and ticket were seized by the police but he was likely to get the travel documents back in a day or two. He added that though there was generally a three-day deadline to claim a ticket refund, Thai Airways had been kind enough to fully refund the ticket without making any deduction keeping in view of the ordeal Faiz went through. Niaz said that intelligence sleuths were still buying therapy shoes from the market to show to their superiors that such shoes were available at Teen Talwar, Nagan Chowrangi and other markets of the city.

Former president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas said that on the whole media’s role in the entire episode left a lot to be desired. “We go by the official version and don’t even use words like ‘alleged’. We (the media) must be very careful when an allegation is being levelled against someone,” said Mr Abbas. He said that the electronic media totally ignored these guidelines and did not even express regret if someone had been cleared by court or law-enforcers through an inquiry. “Throughout his ordeal, Faiz remained quite confident but we were devastated. We spent sleepless nights since Sunday when it all began,” his family members said. They said that though it was finally over the kind of damage they and Faiz Mohammad suffered was indescribable. Niaz said they had not been issued any document following the interrogation by the JIT stating that Faiz was innocent all along, but “we expect that court will in some way address our grievances”. Faiz is unmarried and has an elder brother and a sister. “He has a diploma in civil engineering. We are self-made people and are proud of the fact that our father used to be a construction worker,” his elder brother said. The ASF spokesman was unavailable for comment. REFERENCE: ‘Therapy shoes’ passenger mulls action against ASF By S. Raza Hassan Saturday, 15 May, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/therapy-shoes-passenger-mulls-action-against-asf-550

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