International
organizations including the International
Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without
Borders and Human Rights Watch have called on
Pakistani authorities to immediately release any
information they have on Syed Saleem Shahzad, the
Pakistan Bureau Chief for Asia Times Online, who
went missing on Sunday evening.
Shahzad,
who has been writing for Asia Times Online for
nearly 10 years, failed to show up for a scheduled
appearance on a television talk show in the
capital Islamabad.
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".
A
spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders said
the organization would be "calling on the
authorities to take action in this case and do
whatever they can to find him". He added that a
joint letter from several organizations would be
given to Pakistan's president and prime minister.
A representative for Human Rights Watch,
Ali Dayan Hasan, told the Daily Times in Pakistan
on Monday that "credible sources" claimed Shahzad
had been apprehended by the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI).
The ISI had at the
time of press not made any official comment, and
Asia Times Online was not able to verify any ISI
involvement.
However, members of Shahzad's
family told Tony Allison, the editor of Asia Times
Online, that several of Shahzad's associates
believed him to be in ISI custody, that he was
"safe and would be released after 48 hours" - on
Tuesday evening.
Shahzad had on several
occasions been warned by officials of the ISI over
articles they deemed to be detrimental to
Pakistan's national interests or image.
The statement by the International
Federation of Journalists reads:
Urgent Appeal to Pakistan
Government to Find Missing Journalist The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
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.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistan bureau
chief for Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online,
went missing in the early evening while heading
to the office of Dunya TV to record a program.
The IFJ and its affiliate, the Pakistan
Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), hold grave
fears for the welfare of Shahzad, who published
the first of a two-part investigative series
into alleged links between al-Qaeda and
Pakistani naval officials on Asia Times Online
on May 26. (See Al-Qaeda
had warned of Pakistan strike.)
"The
IFJ is deeply worried for the safety of Syed
Saleem Shahzad," IFJ Asia-Pacific director
Jacqueline Park said.
"We appeal as a
matter of urgency for Pakistan ’s Government to
do all it can to find Shahzad quickly, and to
prove a commitment to reverse Pakistan's poor
track record in investigating abuses against
journalists."
Dunya staff tried to
contact Shahzad by mobile phone at about 5.45pm
on May 29 but failed to get a response,
according to Dawn newspaper.
The article alleges the attack was
mainly in response to an internal clampdown on
al-Qaeda affiliates within the Pakistan navy,
following failed talks between the navy and
al-Qaeda over the release of naval officials
arrested on suspicion of links to the militant
group.
The IFJ and the PFUJ demand that
Pakistan's government and security agencies
respond urgently to investigate the
circumstances around Shahzad's disappearance,
including any link to the article published on
May 26, before the trail goes cold.
For
further information contact IFJ Asia -Pacific on
+61 2 9333 0919. The IFJ represents more than
600,000 journalists in 131 countries. Find the
IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific. Find the IFJ on
Facebook here.
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