Hidden agenda behind Missing Persons’ Protests

By Zaheerul Hassan

Local Police forcefully uprooted agitators’ camp of relatives of missing persons from the capital on 28 April 2014. Amina Massod Janjua, leaders of agitators along with some others people have been taken into police custody. Point to be noted here that the hearing of so called missing persons’ cases is under progress before Judicial Commission and Supreme Court of Pakistan. In this regard, ISI submitted an affidavit, stating that husband of Amina Masood and others missing persons are not in its custody. Therefore, conducting protests at this stage is not understood and it reveals hidden agenda behind staging of protests. The disruption of protest with force either might be the part of government play of toning   down   Hamid Mir issue or purely GEO Group and sympathizers’ attempt to further ridicule vital security institutions.

Notably, the agitation against security agencies has been organized when countrywide sensible citizens and responsible media segments started condemning GEO Group and demanded to enforce ban on this group for throwing sludge over Inter Services Intelligence Agency and its chief, Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam. Here, one must keep in mind that Hamid Mir of GEO always supported Mama Qadeer, a renowned rebel of Balochistan and Amina Masood Janjua the Chairperson Defence of Human Rights Pakistan.

Reportedly, such types of individuals are foreign NGO’s sponsored and playing in the hands of militants

groups and foreign countries.

These activists have achieved ingress in various national and international organizations for human rights. For their vested interests, the militants’ defenders like Amina and Mama are utilizing the platforms of Human Rights Associations. In fact, many so called missing persons either are non state actors or foreign planted undercover agents. In the name of Islam they had carried out various terrorist acts in the country. The security agencies made relentless efforts in arresting few culprits while putting their lives at stake. According to the official reports more than 200 individuals including officers of ISI have lost their lives in operation against terrorists, the death toll is more than CIA.

Unfortunately, the local Anti-Terrorists’ Courts failed in bringing militants to the book and released them without providing justice to the victims of these terrorists. Without any doubt it’s mentionable that the detainees were involved in brutalities on Hamza camp, Kamra Base and GHQ.

In fact, lack of evidences and judges’ trepidation in giving decisions against militants’ were the two basic reasons of not convicting terrorists. Confirmed intelligence information reveals that most of the witnesses, judges, superintendent and staff of the jail used to receive life threats. This is a common culture that the key witness is always given death threats by perpetrators of these terrorists. As a result many militants were left free, some out of them fled away and died in Afghan Jihad. Probably Maj (Retired) Masood Januja husband of Amina was amongst those who have been died in Afghanistan. But Hamid Mir and Amina Masood Januja decided to cash the issue of missing person has adopted the strategy of supporting and sponsoring foreign NGO, thus earning dollars while pitching government against security forces.

Meanwhile GEO group made certain attempts to tarnish image of security forces and its connected institutions like ISI and DHA etc. In this connection, section of print media of GEO group thrown slush on DHA Lahore and Islamabad in the cases of Evacuate Trust Property Board of Pakistan (ETBP) and Employees Old Age Benefits Institutions (EOBI). The News International of February 17th 2014 has published a self created story full of fabricated facts with the titled of “ETPB Land worth billions illegally occupied”. The paper without approaching DHA Lahore’s comments, tried to twist the Supreme Court’s decision of 2013 in the interest of land mafia. According to this paper DHA Lahore is in illegal possession of land as per agreement and decided by the ETPB in its 272 meeting whereas, factual position of the narrated story is quite different to the reality.

Anyhow, the current episode of Hamid Mir and its parent institution GEO group linkages with anti Pakistan forces are no more a secret now. In this regards, GEO’ nexus with India and anti state policy have been amply indicated in the application of Defence Ministry’s addressed to PAMRA. Creating fracas through supporting and sponsoring agitation of the relatives of missing persons is the part of their grand agenda. CIA and RAW are indirectly sponsored and funding some programms and under the cover purchasing rights over airtime payment is being made to the channel. On 02 May 2014 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman while addressing a Press Conference in Islamabad openly disclosed that GEO is a foreign funded media group. He alleged that GEO Group had a hand in the rigging that took place in the May 2013 elections. Based on this, he said, he and other members of his party would no longer make appearances on Geo until he receives an apology.

Apparently, it is also being felt that agitation on missing persons, attack on Hamid Mir and as a result criticism on ISI and Pakistan Army is a well thought-out plan aiming at; derailing democratic system , creating rift between institutions and hitting center of gravity of Pakistan i.e. its armed forces and ISI. GEO could be one of the active players of master planning against Pakistan. Despite nation’s disliking, the channel is still continuously airings negative propaganda and posing our mother land as security risk for the journalists.

Government should display seriousness in taking stern action against the activities of GEO Media Group. The group should be asked to stop carrying out media terrorism against Pakistan and its security agencies. In short, government should respect the nation’s demand of banning GEO Media Group.

The writer can be contacted at:  [email protected]