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Pakistani journalist who wrote about military's links to Al Qaeda is found slain

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sce56 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 07:17 PM
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Pakistani journalist who wrote about military's links to Al Qaeda is found slain
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/fg-pakistan-journalist-20110601,0,1719087.story

Syed Saleem Shahzad had been missing since Sunday. He recently wrote an article that claimed Al Qaeda had infiltrated the navy, and he previously had complained of receiving threats from the nation's intelligence community. By Alex Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times

June 1, 2011
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan—
A Pakistani journalist who vanished after writing about alleged links between Al Qaeda and Pakistan's navy was found slain Tuesday. Colleagues said the reporter had complained of receiving threats in recent months from members of the nation's powerful intelligence community. Syed Saleem Shahzad had been missing since Sunday evening, when he failed to show up at a television studio in Islamabad where he was scheduled to appear on a program. His body was found near the town of Mandi Bahauddin, about 75 miles southeast of the capital. His friends said the body bore signs of torture. Shahzad, the Pakistan bureau chief for the Asia Times Online news website, had recently written an article saying that Al Qaeda had infiltrated the ranks of the navy. The piece also asserted that a 17-hour siege on a naval base in Karachi that was carried out by militants was meant as retaliation for the military's refusal to release a group of naval officials suspected of having militant links. Ten security personnel were killed in the attack that began May 22.

The attack also proved deeply embarrassing for the military, which already had been facing strong criticism within the country for allowing U.S. helicopters to slip into Pakistan undetected during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2. In recent months, Shahzad, 40, had told colleagues that he had been warned by intelligence agents to stop writing about sensitive matters, and that he feared for his life. In October, Shahzad told Ali Dayan Hasan, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, that he had been summoned to the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, where he received what he saw as a veiled threat from a top official.

Shahzad forwarded to Hasan a set of notes from the meeting, adding that he was doing so "in case something happens to me or my family in future." "After that, I spoke to him a few times," Hasan said Tuesday during a phone interview. "He told me he was under surveillance, that he would get calls, and that people would stop him and threaten him a couple of times. But as it is with people who live their lives with these kinds of threats, you factor it in. He factored it in and carried on with his business."

Hasan said he had "confirmation from credible sources that he probably was being held by the ISI."




I take that to be the same ISI that sent Mohamad Atta $200K in Aug 2001.

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Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-31-11 07:25 PM
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1. The ISI is not, and has never been, our friend
It is ironic in that an 'intelligence' agency is dedicated to the limitations of intelligence, because that's what Religious Law is - a limitation of intelligence, placed purposefully.
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Blue_Tires Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-01-11 12:33 PM
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2. kick
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pauldp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-01-11 03:14 PM
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3. kick.
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