The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting released a statement on Saturday wherein the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), dissociated itself from any complicity in the recent attack on journalist Asad Toor. In the statement, the agency said “such continued allegations against ISI show that the ISI is being a target of the fifth generation war under an organised conspiracy”. The ISI has continuously stated that it had no involvement in the incident.
The statement said that a “high level contact” was established between the information ministry and the intelligence agency after the incident in which Asad Toor was attacked. In a clarification of the government’s insensitive position, the statement maintains that a digital media journalist was “allegedly attacked” in Islamabad. It may be recalled that in his recent interview to BBC's HardTalk, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that criticising the ISI had become a "fashion for western media" and that there is a "history of people using and taking names of intelligence agencies to get immigration".
The information ministry's statement adds that “the ISI believes that when the alleged attackers can clearly be identified in the CCTV footages then investigation should proceed against them and stern action should be taken against those responsible for it”. It also says that the ISI has assured its full cooperation in the investigations.
Officials from the information ministry say they are in contact with the Islamabad police and express the hope that the accused would soon be arrested.
Asad Toor had been tortured by unidentified assailants inside his residence in an apartment complex in Islamabad’s Sector F-11 on May 25.
The statement said that a “high level contact” was established between the information ministry and the intelligence agency after the incident in which Asad Toor was attacked. In a clarification of the government’s insensitive position, the statement maintains that a digital media journalist was “allegedly attacked” in Islamabad. It may be recalled that in his recent interview to BBC's HardTalk, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that criticising the ISI had become a "fashion for western media" and that there is a "history of people using and taking names of intelligence agencies to get immigration".
The information ministry's statement adds that “the ISI believes that when the alleged attackers can clearly be identified in the CCTV footages then investigation should proceed against them and stern action should be taken against those responsible for it”. It also says that the ISI has assured its full cooperation in the investigations.
Officials from the information ministry say they are in contact with the Islamabad police and express the hope that the accused would soon be arrested.
Asad Toor had been tortured by unidentified assailants inside his residence in an apartment complex in Islamabad’s Sector F-11 on May 25.