Saleem involved in beating Chinese officials of Dry Port, Progressive Youth Front Hunza
Monitoring Desk
Bang-e-Sahar [May 03-09], a weekly newspaper, has published a joint statement issued by Progressive Youth Front Hunza. According to Bang-e-Sahar leaders of the front including Baba Jan, Jan Alam, Zahoor Illahi, Irfan Karim and Farman Bahadur have said that prince Saleem is himself involved in terrorizing the Chinese officials of the Silk Route Dry Port, Sost. They have condemned the statements made by Saleem in which he labled the local peacefull protestors as threats to law and order situation in the regino. They have also said that cases were registered against Saleem by the local police with regards to physical assault on the Chinese officials but no progress has been made by the police officials.
They have also blamed Eman Shah and Shehbaz Khan, members of District Council Gilgit from Shinaki and Gojal, respectively, saying that the two were trying to create rows between the people of Shinaki and Gojal to further their own interests.
The youth of Hunza, they have said, are trying to unite for raising collective voice for political identity of Gilgit-Baltistan but vested interests are working against unity in the region.
When we talk of news reporting there come questions with regard to true and responsible reporting. Vague types of reporting encourage and makes a serious curiousanalytitical readers for psoing questions along with reservatons in giving comments. One of the good reportings may be that of Chief Exexecutive’s letter to President Musharaf, which encourages readers to come up positiey with right comments. I would request again the reporters to kindly come up with responsible reporing so that no more questions are raised upon you.
We the readers are dependent on your reports that you provide to the PT. One of the examples I would give one of the examples, a report that is against Saleem Khan.
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When and where was Saleem Khan involved in terrorizing the Chinese officials of the Silk Route Dry Port, Sost?
When and where Saleem labled the local peacefull protestors as threats to law and order situation in the regino.
When were the cases registered against Saleem by the local police with regards to physical assault on the Chinese officials?
Had the local police themselves registered cases against Saleem Khan? Or the cases were registered with the local polices?
The next sentence of the report says: “but no progress has been made by the police officials”. This shows that cases were registered not by local police themselves? Who were the perons registering cases against him Saleem?
How many cases were registered against him and on what theamtic areas were the cases? Or which articples of the laws?
When were “Eman Shah and Shehbaz Khan, members of District Council Gilgit from Shinaki and Gojal, respectively” trying to create rows between the people of Shinaki and Gojal to further their own interests. What could be the interests of these two guys?
Since when “the youth of Hunzaare trying to unite for raising collective voice for political identity of Gilgit-Baltistan but vested interests are working against unity in the region”.
Who are the vested interest peoples creating hurdles for the youth of the reiogn?
When was the progresive Youth Movement (formed) around which objectives and what specific achievements so far?
Who were the Chines on whom there were assaults? What were their names?
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I hope that during the report writing, such facets would be taken into account so that our comments must not be biased rather must revolve around the actual news.
Once again, I would request and insist the respective reporters/journaists to please go through the speeches of MHI delivered in Cape Town Africa and Evora University Portual that is focused on role of journalism. We must tryp to understand those two speeches only. Then there would be no biase while we write something.
We all know that having the power of pen and knowldge is superior than others. One example we can find from our own culture. Those who were amulet/talisman (ta’wiz) makers used to, and I assume stil make, two types of amulets. One for the well being of the individual and the other for the ill-wishes to the individuals. The first one is considred postive that helps and provides any support to the people. While the second type of tawiz (amulet) is with the purpose of ill-will. For this purpose, the respective amulet-makers, as respondents says, blacken their left face then the amulet has its negative ffects. Means they confess their sins before God and therefore opt to blacken thier left face.
So we the writers (pen-holders) are, in a sense, like the amulet-makers. Should we use it rightly and positively for the well being of the people by providing true information by responsible reporting. If we do not follow such norms, then it may be equalised to the negative amulet makers who blacken their left faces.
Let’s pledge that we’ll support the community through our rsponsible reporting and pluralistic writings (articles or otherwise) so that baseless questions should not be raised againt us.
Warmest regards
Respected Fazal Amin Baig [Musofir] Sahab
Thank you for the much needed critical view. Indeed this is the only way that we would be able to transform this ‘journalistic’ venture into a true symbol of objective journalism. I agree that a reporter has to entail all dimensions of the ‘story’ before reporting it.
However, the said news regarding Saleem’s involvement in assualt on the Chinese officials is a wel known reality of Gojal. Almost all the people interested in the affairs of the port know that this sad incident had taken place. And on the same day, almost during the same time, he [Saleem] also slapped an aged, honorable, citizen from Passu. He also broke his camera, thrashing it on the KKH and openly threatened everyone to do something to him, “if they had the courage”. The Chinese officials he thrashed included Rahim [Administration] and Ding Jobing [Finance]. He [Saleem] also snatched keys of the offices from these two people and forcefully entered the port building along with his gang.
While positng this piece I, maybe wronlgy, presumed that most of the readers are already aware of this sad event of our region’s history.
Besides, the above news has not been reported by one of our volunteer correspondents. It is not a report, as such. It is just a statement issued by the officials of the Progressive Youth Front and, thus, all the questiones need to be answered by the represenatiatives of the PYF, if they are reading Pamir News Blog.
We have taken the statements, as mentioned, from the weekly newspaper , ad idum. Bang-e-Sahar, most probably, recieved it as a press release from the Progressive Youth Front. There isn’t much that can be changed in a press release.
Let’s agree that not all of us are trained journalists or professional journalists. Most of our correspondents have not received prior training in the field of jouranlism, like rest of journalists from Pakistan and Gilgit – Baltistan. There is need to train our correspondents and increase their capacities, preparing them to be objective in their use of words. We hope that NGOs will offer us help in this regard. I have heard that the AKRSP and IUCN sponsor journalist trainings. Imparting such a training to our volunteer correspondents will help us a lot, in many regards.
NOOR
Thanks Noori/Zulfi for providing the info on the raised quesions. For a reader from Gojal, it may be clear but from out of the valley, it is vague. Even though, I was aware of that sad incident where Salim had his negative show in Sost, but I myself was again in doubt that he might have assulted now, in the recent days.
I would humbly suggest that when you know the story then the fact ought to be included even quoting that press conferences statements and making it a news or if you have got any limitation in doing so, then not necessarily including as news. Whenever news or pieces are sent to you, kindly see them academically critical and if they (esp news) lack the desired info, not necessarily brining them online. It however rests with you people, but as a suggstion I was putting it up. Because when there are news with precisse info, we as readers/commentators are not able to come up with positively effectively comments, and we are biased with our remarks. Because the Pmir Times, if I have righty percived, is not a poltical forum whereby we could go laong with poltical and biased commens or stories.
You have rightly pinpointed that our news reporters or others are nonive and they require training. Of course, AKRSP and IUCN are there, but along with these organizations, I would strongly recommend and request Ghulam Ali, GM KADO to facilitate such traiings, technically and financially. When we talk of development in the Karakoram Areas/regions, it neverever means to sujpport and promote only the rugs, sharma, ICT or gemstone projects, but rather to fully and honestly address such issues and provide time to time capacity building services to these young, energetic and intellgent youths. We, esp the commnity of Hunza were bitterly lacking in the field of journalism. Now thanks God that this forum, PT, has provided us at least a common forum whereby we are gathered from different and distant geograpical regoins on this globe. The views and visons of the youth and educated people are focused on the development of our regions.
It is interesting that at national level, the need for the local media is realised; while our youth, esp Zulfi and Noori, already embarked on this venture for the last couples of years. Bravo guys!!!
Now, it is our resonsibiity to proceed with our positive, academic, pragmatic and objective feedbacks and comments, rather than becoming subjective and prejudice.
Thanks once again. God protect all from the evils.
Dear Noor
You are indeed doing a very good job. But try to bring forth views from both sides. You are right that we all learning. In case you are taking any news from other sources, please make sure that you refer them. Then you will be safer to some extent. However, it would be even better to add and/or improve the news from other sources, if possible. By referring different perspective and sources you will further increase you credibility.
what ever we do or say , we cannot clear the marks of salvery from our oppressed minds . I am just confused by the statement , mentioning Saleem as Prince. What makes him a Prince? Does the state exist? Is his father the “Mir” of Hunza? Isn’t he the son of an elected representative? If Ghazanfar has come to the level of leadership because of our votes why do we call him a mir or his son a prince?
People this is 2008 and so please OPEN YOUR EYES AND THEN TALK. IF YOU CANNOT SEE THE FACTS ,THEN PLEASE DO NOT MARK AND GUIDE THE OTHERS …………………..
PLEASE WE HAVE TO accpet what we are HUMAN with LIFE and rights We have to accept certain thing and have to be clear many definitions in our memories. If we accpet him as a Prince then we loose the moral grounds for our arguments related to his deeds… don’t we?
We are still living in 20 BC with the vision and so called hope of 2008 plus.