Hamid Mir serves legal notice on Punjab information minister

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 8 June 2020

Hamid Mir, a senior journalist, has served a legal notice to Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan. The notice stems from Chauhan's comments labeling Mir's father, Prof. Waris Mir, a traitor.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Hamid Mir, senior journalist and host of current affairs show Capital Talk on Geo News has served a legal notice on Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan for terming Prof. Waris Mir, Mir's father, a traitor.

According to a notice shared by journalist Azaz Syed on Twitter, Mir was invited by Muhammad Maalik, host of a TV show. He justly commented on the commission report on the sugar scandal, and he praised the present government for such report.

In response, Chauhan gave a statement and termed the elder Mir a traitor.

Hamid Mir on Twitter termed Chauhan's statement and allegation against his father as false, saying his father had criticized the military operation but did not support Mukti Bahini.

Mir said if his father was a traitor, then why did the government announce an award for him.

Waris Mir died while fighting the Zia regime 33 years ago. In appreciation of his scholarly work, the government of Pakistan decorated him (posthumously) with the highest civil award of the country, the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, in 2013.

According to Dawn, the government of Bangladesh had announced highest civil awards for Waris Mir, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Habib Jalib, Malik Ghulam Jillani, Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo and other Pakistani intellectuals, in 2013.

Waris Mir was not the only one to criticize the action in East Pakistan.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and others have also condemned Chauhan's statement.