The continuing role of the military in the governance of Pakistan has come up for international scrutiny again after a veteran journalist alleged on BBC that there was a growing “climate of fear” for reporters in the country.
Hamid Mir, considered one of the best-known journalists in Pakistan for decades, made the allegation in an interview on BBC HardTalk, which was aired on Monday.
Mir had been taken off the air on May 30 for giving a speech that was deemed critical of the military. Mir had made the speech at a protest organised by journalists to criticise an attack on YouTuber and journalist Asad Ali Toor. Mir apologised in June for the comments, claiming he had no intention of defaming the Pakistan Army.
Mir told journalist Stephen Sackur on BBC HardTalk, "There is democracy in Pakistan, but there is no democracy. There is a constitution in Pakistan, but there is no constitution. And I am a living example of censorship in Pakistan," Dawn reported.
While Mir did not name any figures for attempting to "silence journalists," he hinted intelligence agencies and state actors were involved in attacks on journalists. Mir was quoted by Dawn as saying, "... state agencies and the intelligence agencies were blamed again and again for organising attacks or kidnapping journalists.”
Mir was defiant about the fact that six sedition cases were filed against him. "I am ready to face a life in prison because if they will… convict me at least the whole world will come to know what is going on in Pakistan. The whole world is already aware of what is going on because I am living example of censorship in Pakistan. Everybody knows what happened to Hamid Mir and why he is banned and everybody knows the names of the people which I have not mentioned," he was quoted as saying by Dawn.
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Mir appeared sympathetic to Prime Minister Imran Khan, noting, "Imran Khan is not directly responsible for imposing a ban on me. I don’t think he wants me to be off air. But like past prime ministers, he is not a very powerful prime minister… he is helpless and he can’t help me.”
Mir recalled when he was banned from writing by the government of dictator general Pervez Musharraf in 2007, Imran had stood by him and was the "biggest supporter of media freedom in Pakistan". Mir alleged that Imran was unhappy when he started criticising his government.
Mir added he was concerned about his personal security and revealed his wife and daughter had already left Pakistan.
