This is with reference to your investigative report published in ‘The News’ on November 25, 2008, on jacked-up marks, from 640 t0 661 by re-assessing of answer sheets, of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar’s daughter in FSc Pre-medical exams, which lead to her admission to a private medical college, controversially.

First, I would like to appreciate you, in special, and the whole team of ‘The News Investigation Cell’, in general, for unearthing this story to highlight academic corruption and dacoity by the high-ups of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad. No doubt, this was an excellent piece of investigative work, which not only posed threat to all the corrupt high officials and influential lot of this country, but also set an example and paved way for investigative journalism in the native soil in one or the other way. Now from today, all such people would think one thousand times at least before committing this type of corrupt and ill practices whatsoever.

Secondly, I would like to ask you, Mr Ansar Abbasi, as to how re-assessing of answer books, raise in marks and admission of Farah Hameed Dogar, the daughter of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, to a private medical college on a seat reserved for judges ‘became a mass denial of rights of thousands of students throughout the country’. In fact this jacked-up result hasn’t denied the right of even a single student, or only one, if it has done so, as had Farah not been awarded this set of 21 marks, that seat would have been remained either vacant because this was the seat reserved for judges’ kin, or any other, but only one, daughter or son of any other retired or serving judge would have been given admission to that medical college. So, it will not be unfair to mention here that you exaggerated the facts to create sensationalism and hit your ‘target’ unethically and hence justified those allegations leveled against the media that journalists and anchorpersons create sensationalism in the country by exaggerating the things and distorting the facts altogether. True, the CJ Dogar’s daughter has been given marks illegally, but this was not ‘mass denial of rights of thousands of students’ as you mentioned in your report in anyway in fact.

Secondly, I would like to ask you, Mr Ansar Abbasi, that tens of reporters work under the ‘Editor Reporting’ and the ‘Chief Reporter’ in ‘The News’, but credit of every story does not go to ‘Editor Reporting’ or ‘Chief Reporter’, rather it goes to the reporter who goes out in the field to collect facts and data. But, it is surprising to see that credit of every investigative story by ‘The News Investigation’ goes lonely to you in the byline of the story, despite this fact that scores of journalists work in the ‘Investigation Cell’ of the newspaper and work to unearth stories published. Is not this mass denial of right of scores of journalists by you, the top journalist, in real sense? Yes, it is.

Thirdly, I would suggest you, the noted journalist, to give due coverage to stories demanding abolishment of reserved seats in medical colleges. Had you launched campaign against reserved seats and quota system in medical colleges well in time with such a full strength, as you did in this case, this would have been proved very helpful and advantageous to scores of students regarding admission to medical colleges.

Fourthly, but not finally, I would like to give a few tips to you, Mr Ansar Abbasi, to unearth other stories and facts, which would bring real face of media, the so-called ‘eyes and ears’ of this society before nation. You should investigate as to which group of newspapers purchased land and plazas for their offices for how much money and what was the actual land value at those places at that time. Moreover, you should also investigate which group of newspapers paid how much money as monthly utility bills of their offices in different cities and paid how much income tax yearly for last 30 years. Furthermore, probe into the matter as to which politicians and businessmen pay monthly utility bills of which journalists on ‘give and take’ basis.

Finally, the principled and praiseworthy journalist! You should also report as to how much money press clubs and lands for press clubs in each and every city in every nook and corner of this homeland was acquired right from the day of Independence.

All these stories will be real eye-openers for everyone of us, including journalists, as well.

But I’m sure; you, the honest and truthful reporter, will not touch these stories in the ‘larger interest of the nation’.

Samia,

Kharian Cantt.

Disclaimer: This Letter is neither the representative of Silence’s nor of Dr. Farrukh Malik’s stand on the matter under question.

Caution: This is an unconventional interview of a conscientious prisoner taken by a panel of experts (least likely experts).

The Panelists

The panelists are five in number from different backgrounds, one landlord cum businessman (A), a middle class struggling fellow (this scribe refer me as B) and other three are metropolitan residents with stake in business(C, D, E).

Whose interview?

Kazim Ali Abbasi (KA), a lawyer (not liar) who got arrested few days back while protesting against emergency in Pakistan and jailed for ten days in Karachi Central Jail, Pakistan.

Venue

Last night, I mean November 16, 2007 at residence of Kazim Ali Abbasi in posh locality of Clifton Karachi, Pakistan.

Here you go….

B: Welcome back Kazim after a break from this lousy place!

KA: Thanks B.

B: When you are throwing party?

KA: Soon, may be tonight?

B: Aww, it will be awesome!

KA: I want to eat some meat, after eating too much dal there.

B: I can understand.

E: I had told you not to kick his a…. but you were adamant.

KA: Yaar may be you were right but I was indeed preoccupied with all that shit around.

B: So, you regret all that?

KA: No ways, in fact I am motivated enough for another such break.

A: Another break hmmm…

B: ‘A’, what do you think, you seem interested too?

A: No ways!

C: Well KA, please tell us about your pilgrimage.

KA: It was indeed pilgrimage. I was with so many intellectuals in jail that I felt the outside world is almost devoid of them.

B: KA, please proceed.

KA: So, I got arrested in High Court with all those big names and was imprisoned in barrack number one (1).

B: Interesting

KA: We got arrested and were taken first to artillery madan police station near high court. And latter we were transferred to Karachi Central Jail in Kutta Gaddi (armored vehicle used by police here). We reached at the gate of Karachi Central jail at about 2300 hrs and waited there for about three to four hours. The armored vehicle was having a capacity of 15 men only but we were like 30 to 35 and I thought we will die of suffocation.

B: But you are alive hmm…

E: Yes, you are alive.

KA: Alive oh yes, thanks to my strong immunity and health.

B: Go ahead with the story.

KA: Yes, at about 0230 hrs, they took us inside and it felt very pleasant to get freed from the Kutta Gaddi (the feeling of relief was still in his eyes). Having entered, we were taken to barrack no. 1. The barrack no. 1 is a place that I will never forget (he got lost in memories of his prison cell). We were 46 in number along with mice, cats and we all used to live under an implied code of peaceful co-existence (least likely among men in our world though).

D: You mean cats were not troubling even mice?

KA: Yes, they were not.

A: It was worth seeing all this.

KA: Yes, it was but beyond comprehension while sitting in my drawing room (feeling of agony was quite evident in his eyes).

D: Tell us more about it

KA: Slow man! Yes, when you enter the jail you will find a place called Marri (a building) , sort of a place with sitting arrangements, after Marri you will cross a passage that will lead you to a compound called Chakkar (dizziness, puzzle), Chakkar is a place that will really bewilder you. I think it is there to puzzle in case some prisoner is trying to make his way out. You don’t know where you came from and where you want to go. These were the important land marks in jail.

E: Tell us about food!

KA: Food was five star with sushi in super and all that (making mockery of all). We used to drink diesel in place of tea with lots of cockroaches and other insects. The food was dal almost every then and now and if someone mistakenly kept the plate on floor, mice will jump to show their solidarity with you and please you with their theory of peaceful co-existence.

B: Can you tell us the best part of your stay?

KA: We use to recite Faiz Ahmed Faiz and it was the best part. I happened to see Faiz in a different context. This jail journey provided me with an insight of my very self. One more thing, I observed a very painful scene and I want to share it with you. It is about a lady whose husband was a prisoner. Lady was out of money and was very poor. For a face to face meeting they use to charge a sum of 500 hundreds and that lady was penniless. Somehow she managed a normal meeting and they were standing around 25-30 feet apart with barriers in between and lots of other visitors around. This moved me a lot and the feeling of the pain in their eyes was very much clear. The lady was like weeping and it made me feel very bad.

A: Aray yaar it’s enough stop it now.

B: Han yaar its enough, let’s talk about something else

KA: What else?

B: Anything, acha any message you want to give to readers of my blog?

KA: This journey was not that bad but must remember, I now know that they (the jail administration) know how to make your life miserable. Stay cautious!

B: Don’t think about going to jail, that’s what you mean?

KA: Never, I am charged and I am ready to water my commitments in any form.

B: Thank you Kazim, the interview is over.

A: Yaar got to go now.

B: A, I want you to please catch some photos of KA and email me tomorrow

A: Okay, here I go (started catching photos).

KA: Enough? Let’s go and have some Karahai warhai, I am starving….

Honestly, President Musharraf has done wrong to an extent that I have no sympathy for him but being a student of Journalism and practicing Citizen journalist, I feel that there is an extent to which limits of decency allows us to write but this trash in guise of Freedom of Expression is simply unacceptable on grounds of ethics and morality. The UK journalists who wrote the story using indecent words against Pakistani President (leaving my disagreement with his policies) and agency that syndicated and printed their such write up in my view, are wrong and they ought to apologize us the Pakistanis for this attitude.

The roundup of Pakistani blogsphere written by Neha at Global voices online can be found here.

Just read about Kareem, an Egyptian blogger who happened to criticise his university and ran into trouble. Reportedly he is awarded a prison sentence for four year only because he spoke out his heart. With this post I want to show solidarity with him and demand the release of this prisoner of conscience as announced by Amnesty International