Hamid Mir offers to apologize if Asad Toor's attackers arrested

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 1 June 2021 |  Daud Malik

Hamid Mir stated he would apologize for his remarks against the military if the attackers of journalist Asad Toor are apprehended. His comments followed a protest against the assault on Toor, highlighting issues within media freedom in Pakistan.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Hamid Mir on Tuesday offered to apologize for his outburst against the military establishment provided those who attacked journalist Asad Ali Toor were arrested.

Mir, banned from hosting his talk show Capital Talk, said on Twitter: “If ‘they’ arrest the attackers of journalist Asad Ali Toor, then I am ready to offer apology.”

"if they arrest the persons who attacked ⁦@AsadAToor⁩ then I am ready to apologise" https://t.co/Mmq1Rh8QyW

— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) June 1, 2021

VOA said Mir’s use of the word ‘they’, showed whom he was talking about.

In a hard-hitting speech at a protest last week condemning the assault on Toor, he spoke against the security agencies and threatened to spill the beans.

In a statement, the Geo-Jang Group said that the veteran journalist had made a speech "that has resulted in backlash from different segments of society."

“We would like to remind our viewers and readers that Geo and Jang Group were shut down, our journalists were beaten up as they faced hundreds of fake allegations of corruption, blasphemy and traitorhood, shot at, financially strangulated more than any other media organisation in the country. The organisation has lost more than Rs10 billion to keep viewers and readers informed,” the statement said.

"However, it becomes difficult for the group and its editors to take ownership of the content that is delivered outside the purview, input and guidance of its editors, and which are not fact-checked and approved by the editorial teams," the statement added.

In a tweet on Monday, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said every broadcasting organization is free to decide which program it airs and what will be its team. He added that the government had nothing to do with the internal decisions of the broadcasting institutions.

Photo: AFP

KEY POINTS:

• Hamid Mir demands arrest of Asad Toor's attackers for an apology.
• Mir has faced backlash for his comments about the military.
• The Geo-Jang Group emphasizes struggles faced by journalists.
• Minister Fawad Chaudhry supports media independence.
• Mir's statements have stirred discussions about media freedom.