Pakistani Journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad Found Murdered
by TRNN
May
31, 2011 - Asia Times Pakistan Bureau Chief and TRNN contributor Syed
Saleem Shahzad
was found murdered in Islamabad on Tuesday. In a recent report for Asia
Times and a TRNN interview, Shahzad reported on splits in the Pakistan
military over support for al Qaeda. Collected here are his interviews
for TRNN.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistan Bureau Chief for Asia Times Online who
went missing on Sunday evening, has been killed, according to police.
Shahzad, who has been writing for Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online for
nearly 10 years, failed to show up for a scheduled appearance on a
television talk show in the capital Islamabad.
Police reported that his body was found in a canal in Mandi Bahauddin in
Punjab province about 150 kilometers southeast of Islamabad and about
10 kilometers from where his car was found. They said that his body bore
marks of torture.
Earlier, the International Federation of Journalists released a
statement saying it "urgently appeals to the Government of Pakistan to
order its security and police agencies to respond immediately to find a
senior journalist who disappeared in Islamabad on May 29".
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani expressed his "deep grief and
sorrow" over Shahzad's death and ordered an immediate inquiry into his
kidnapping and murder, according to Associated Press of Pakistan.
Shahzad, 40, had on several occasions been warned by officials of the
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) over articles they deemed to be
detrimental to Pakistan's national interests or image.
He leaves a wife,
two sons aged 14 and seven, and a daughter aged 12.
Human Rights Watch researcher Ali Dayan Hasan earlier said he suspected
ISI officials abducted Shahzad, possibly because of a recent story he
wrote on al-Qaeda infiltration in the Pakistani navy. Authorities
haven't commented. (Al-Qaeda had warned of Pakistan strike.)
Tony Allison, the Editor of Asia Times Online, expressed his deep
concern for one of the most fearless journalists with whom he had ever
worked. "We will bring the utmost pressure to bear on the authorities
over this case. We at Asia Times Online express our deepest sympathies
for Saleem's family."
