Mohsin Baig’s Online-International News Network: A news ‘agency’ you can trust!

by admin

'Lance Naik' Mohsin Jamil Baig: A long-time ISI mole in Pakistan's 'free' media along with Dr Shahid Masood, Shaheen Sehbai, Ansar Abbasi, Zafar Hilaly, Mosharraf Zaidi, Talat Hussain, Hamid Mir, Majeed Nizami and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

Related article:

Story of a spy agency’s news agency – by Aamer Ahmed Khan

A glaring example of how ISI dictates Pakistani newspapers: The case of a missing WikiLeak cable

News agency fails to confirm source of WikiLeaks disclosure

Source: The News, December 10, 2010

By our correspondent

KARACHI: A story filed by a news agency about purported WikiLeaks cables disclosing Indiaís involvement in Balochistan and Waziristan, carried by The News, Daily Jang and many other Pakistani newspapers, has been widely criticised as not being accurate. The prestigious British newspaper The Guardian described the report as “the first case of WikiLeaks being exploited for propaganda purposes”.

The report said that US diplomats described senior Indian generals as vain, egotistical and genocidal, and that India’s government was secretly allied with Hindu fundamentalists. It also claimed that Indian spies were covertly supporting Islamist militants in the tribal belt and Balochistan.

The story was released by the Islamabad-based Online news agency and was run by The News and Daily Jang with the confidence that it was a genuine report and must have been vetted before release. However, several inquiries suggest that this was not the case.

When contacted, the owner of the agency, Mohsin Baig, and some of the editorial staff were themselves unclear about the source of the story and said they would investigate the matter at their end.

Mohsin Baig said he had just returned from Turkey where he had accompanied the prime minister on his official visit and was therefore in the dark about how the story was released. He said he would talk to his editorial staff and get back to us. After a while, Onlineís news editor contacted us and told us he too was unaware about the source of the story and would check and get back to us as soon as possible. Despite repeated requests, he declined to contact the employee who had downloaded the news, and asked us to check with them the next day. On further inquiries, we learnt from our sources that the story was dubious and may have been planted.

A check on the Internet as well as The Guardian report showed that the story was not based on Wikileaks cables, and had in fact originated from some local websites such as The Daily Mail and Rupee News known for their close connections with certain intelligence agencies. The Guardian quoted Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor The News, as describing the story as “agencies’ copy” and said he would investigate its origins.

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اس بارے میں بی بی سی کے نامہ نگار حفیظ چاچڑ سے بات کرتے ہوئے خبر رساں ایجنسی آن لائن کے سربراہ محسن بیگ نےدعوٰی کیا یہ دستاویز اصل ہے۔ انہوں نے ان اخبارات پر تنقید کی جنہوں نے اس خبر پر معذرت شائع کی ہے۔

ان کے مطابق ’اگر ہماری خبر کی وکی لیکس تردید کر دے تو ان اخبارات کی معذرت جائز ہے اور وکی لیکس کی اس خبر کے انٹرنیٹ پر بے شمار لنکس موجود ہیں‘۔

محسن بیگ نے کہا کہ وکی لیکس کے دستاویزات شائع کرنے کا برطانوی اخبار گارڈین کے پاس کوئی اختیار نہیں ہے اور یہ دستاویزات انٹرنیٹ پر موجود ہیں اور انہیں کوئی بھی چھاپ سکتا ہے۔ انہوں نے ان خبروں کی بھی تردید کی جن میں کہا گیا ہے کہ خبر رساں ایجنسی کو یہ خبر مخصوص مقاصد پورے کرنے کے لیے دی گئی تھی۔

Source: BBC Urdu
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An official introduction of the Online News Agency:

Online-International News Network

A testimony to Pakistan’s claim to media independence
It is indeed our great privilege to introduce Pakistan’s leading news/photo agency Online International News Network (OINN) to you. This is Pakistan’s first bilingual news and photo wire service, dedicated to issues that are neglected by the mainstream media. We focus on national and global processes affecting the economic, social and political development of the people of Pakistan in particular and the region in general. We disseminate genuine as well as useful information to the nation and the people across the globe.

OINN is different from contemporary Pakistani news agencies in many ways. There has been a very strong feeling in the outside world that there is no credible and independent source of information in Pakistan, chiefly because the electronic media including radio and television networks are state-owned.

It was in this background that Mr Mohsin Baig, the company’s Chairman thought of setting up a news network worthy of credibility at home as well as in the foreign world. Mr Baig, who has been a journalist in his own right and now Chief Executive Online initiated this project in January 1999.

Chairman’s primary concern was to build a highly professional team of reputable journalists, and marry it with state-of-the-art technology. Following these objectives, each journalist was selected on merits to ensure maintaining high journalistic values and each equipment was specially designed to cater to the modern day needs. This was done, keeping in view, that we were at the turn of the century and as a nation we have to enter the next millennium with dignity and honour.

As we were still in the process of training our staff at new technology and preparing a style-sheet when an unforeseen event of Oct 12, 1999 took place in the country with military take-over in Pakistan. The Online team on that day huddled together, and unanimously decided to break ground forthwith, ahead of its scheduled launching of Nov 1, 1999. We jumped in the arena half-prepared, yet we were largely welcomed by the print media within Pakistan.

After attaining the status of a credible and most subscribed news/photo service provider in Pakistan, we later launched our English/Arabic news and pictures service for daily, weekly and monthly publications across the globe.

Online is the first-ever Pakistani news agency operating English, Urdu and Arabic news services simultaneously along with comprehensive national and international photo coverage. Our news reports often appear in the national and international print media while our photographs dominate news pages in most of the newspapers coming out from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta besides some leading papers in the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

In English, Arabic and Urdu languages, we offer information packages to suit diverse needs; both local and international publications, print and electronic media, dailies and weeklies, magazines and periodic journals, specialised and subject-specific publications. We are also equipped for prompt dissemination of breaking news to the print and electronic media around the world.

Today, we are proud to operate off a root network purpose-built for Online in the United States. Naturally, our transmission quality and timings match any other big news agency of the world.

The constituent elements of Online are an independent policy, a pioneering spirit, a highly motivated professional core team, state-of-the-art technology, strategically located Bureaux and Correspondents spread all over Pakistan, and above all a sense of mission.

INDEPENDENCE
An independent policy is the very substratum of the credibility for a news organisation. Naturally, everyone in the business claim they are independent. Few, however, appreciate what independence actually takes, and how difficult it is to uphold.

Online deems its financial independence to be the bedrock of its policy independence. A single-owner proposition from day one, the organization has kept its hands clean of any government grant, party contribution, or philanthropic endowment, and has a firm determination to always keep things this way.

Equally important at Online is intellectual independence, for vested interest groups have traditionally found it a breeze to infiltrate the ranks of media organisations with their henchmen. At Online, however, we have been able to foster a strong tradition of liberal thinking in a brief span of time so that any of our key members would feel disgraced if seen to be biased.

Freethinking professionals constitute the core team at Online, who have the intellectual duty to uphold liberal, rational thought at every level of the organisation, at the same time maintaining the richness of diversity of ideas characteristic to our society.

BUREAUX AND CORRESPONDENTS
It is our pride to claim that Online with its Central office in New York and head office in Islamabad is a news network that has its bureaus at each provincial headquarters in Pakistan besides some major cities including Muzaffarabad, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, and Multan. Our bureaux are headed by senior, respectable and professional journalists. Their reporting teams comprise young, educated and honest reporters and photographers. More than 450 correspondents represent Online in every district and tehsil headquarter of the country.

This much for our domestic network; as well, Online has its correspondents in important world capitals and major cities including Washington, New York, Koeln (Germany), Moscow, Tokyo, Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Cairo, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait covering events round-the-clock.

Working in tandem with our core team, this extensive network of ears and eyes puts Online on top of the news ahead of the competition.

Source

Bawa:
آن لائن نیوز ایجنسی کا فوج آئی ایس آئی سے تعلق بہت گہرا اور پرانا ہے. فوج نے پھر اسی ایجنسی کو وکی لیکس کی آڑ میں اپنے مخصوس پروپیگنڈہ کے لیے استعمال کیا. جنگ گروپ نے بغیر کسی تصدیق کے اس سٹوری کو شائع کرکے فوج اور اسٹبلشمنٹ سے اپنے خفیہ تعلقات کی نشاندھی بھی کر دی ہے

ماضی میں اسی آن لائن نیوز ایجنسی کے ڈائیریکٹر محسن بیگ نے فوج اور خفیہ ایجنسیوں کی ایما پر ڈاکٹر شاہد مسعود کی مدد سے ڈاکٹر شازیہ کو ملک چھوڑنے پر مجبور کیا تاکہ کیپٹن حماد کی کرتوتوں کی وجہ سے ہونے والی بدنامی سے فوج کو بچایا جا سکے

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s (Jang Group) Aman Ki Aasha

Sagar (via Cafe Pyala):

Isn’t this the same group that promotes ‘Aman ki Asha’ jointly with Times of India. Wonder why only Asha (hope) and why not actual Aman itself? And how can someone claiming to promote ‘Aman’ call themselves the ‘Jang’ group? Strange paradox.

Dr Shazia Khalid’s case

Rape victim Dr Shazia Khalid herself revealed Dr Shahid Masood and Mohsin Beg’s role during an interview with BBC Urdu on Sept 5, 2005. Here comes the link FYI.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/miscellaneous/story/2005/09/050909_shazia_text_nisar.shtml

A perspective on Dr Shahid Masood’s dubious journalism – by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa

We reproduce below an excerpt from Dr Ayesha Siddiqa’s email (circulated in the Press Pakistan group) to Dr Moeed Pirzada explaining her perspective on Dr Shahid Masood and his style of journalism. Unlike Shahid Masood who is a medical doctor by profession, Ayesha Siddiqa has a PhD from King’s College, London. Dr Siddiqa highlights certain worrying areas in Dr Shahid Masood’s style of journalism including the dubious role he played in Shazia Khalid case (who was raped by a Pakistan Army officer), and also the opportunistic role Shahid Masood played in organizing some sham conferences in the USA.

It is surprising that Dr Shahid Masood has the gumption to keep marketing himself and move from one to another channel. Perhaps, it also shows how desperate are channels to take someone who has no honor and reputation left.

It is certainly not about changing channels but what you do with that time. I have nothing against Shahid Masood’s campaign against Zardari’s corruption at all. I have an issue with Masood’s intellectual corruption. I stopped appearing on his programs when I saw him editing selectively.

I had criticised Mr Zardari which was relayed but minus the context. And it wasn’t even a long speech which had to be edited. This is professional dishonesty. He edits to fit his own thesis which means quoting people out of context.

Not to mention the role he played in the Shazia Khalid case. Who, in Pakistan’s media, will dare do a ‘merey mutabiq’ on that tragic but painful case?

He was in Washington recently trying to convince the world about his independent-mindedness by arguing that how he wanted to take the army chief to task.

The question is that does he dare do that or was it just for his own face-saving (plz refer to the Shazia Khalid case for his credentials).

I know a lot of people will be jumping up and down if i argue that the media in Pakistan today is different from the media of the 1980s. The old one had more balls and a spirit. This one has technology but no spirit. And this is not even about presenting a pro-government picture.

Plz note that I fully realize that the government has its point of view and the right to argue for its perspective. Before anyone jumps up and quotes the example of foreign media, I will say that yes people make a choice and seek information from the government which is a big source itself. However, I see people on the media who don’t then boither to study the details to make their view look independent. Their script is so carefully written for them. You listen to them or read their writing and you know which one is actually a provided script.

But going back to Shahid Masood, I heard him speak at a conference in Canada. Nothing to say except how he was given a bullet-proof jacket by BB and then straight to when he became chairman PTV. I asked him during the break about would it not have beena good idea to remain independent and his answer was that how many people have chairman and MD PTV on their CV. So, at the end of the day it is all about cooking up your resume!

I wish one could ask him about the couple of conferences he organized in the US with money from (don’t know where) on which he had absolutely nothing to say because the subject was beyond him.

These incidents or events are basically tip of the iceberg. ….pray ask yourself the question from the perspective of an ordinary citizen that this intellectual dishonesty and corruption is becoming intolerable. As an ordinary citizen I would like to believe in something.

Regards
ayesha

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Some useful links and resources which point towards the ugly role played by Daktar Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig in the Shazia Khalid case:

“On 19 March 2005, when an investigation into the crime was supposed to be underway, Dr. Shazia Khalid was spirited out of Pakistan into a “safe haven abroad”, allegedly on the pretext of escaping imminent assassination. But the moment she was out of Pakistan and seeking asylum in the UK, Shazia and her husband Khalid were dumped and disowned by the very government that transferred her there. Dr Khalid claims to have been blackmailed into leaving the country by government officials trying to cover up her rape.”

Who was the person acting on behalf of Pakistan Army / the ISI insisting that Dr Shazia Khalid must leave the country? Yes, our own Dr Shahid Masood.

Here is Dr Shazia Khalid’s story in her own words:

Q. How did you end up in the UK?

Dr Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig came from Islamabad to see us in Karachi. They told us they had met with the high authorities there and that we had no choice but to leave Pakistan as our lives were in danger.

They asked us where we wanted to go. We argued that we did not wish to leave, but they insisted our lives were in serious danger and we could not stay in Pakistan. We said Canada was the logical choice. I have a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law and family friends there, but I had never been out of Pakistan before. So they brought us the forms for Canadian immigration which they said they would submit on our behalf. Not much time had passed since the incident so I was still in shock.

Masood returned two days later and said the Canadian High Commission required more time, perhaps four or five weeks. He said it would be a great risk to wait that long and so he had brought the form for a UK visa. We said we didn’t know anyone in the UK but he remained adamant that we go to the UK while they continued with the Canada application.”

“There was another problem. I didn’t want to leave without my adopted son, Adnan. He is actually the son of my late brother who passed away when Adnan was four. But they said: “For now, you and your husband go. Once you are there, we will get his paperwork done and he will follow soon after.””

“Q. What is your situation in the UK?

In the beginning when we arrived and filed our asylum application, the UK government gave us a small hotel room to stay in. Now, four months later, we have been shifted to this new place. We spoke to our solicitor and asked about all our options but unless our case is expedited we are stuck. We cannot go anywhere, nor take employment. My husband and I lived comfortably in Pakistan, but now we are almost destitute. We get £30 a week from the state and have this bedsit to live in but it is not much of a life. People in the media have been talking about it as if we’ve been living a life of comfort and are enjoying ourselves in London. It’s nothing like that. Our daily routine is restricted to this room, the library, and to the solicitor’s office and back. We don’t meet anyone, except the occasional journalist. It’s almost like being imprisoned.

We arrived on 18 March. While we were still in Islamabad, Mohsin Baig took us to meet Tariq Aziz, special advisor to the President. He said that once we were in the UK they would sort out our migration to Canada. They would also send a representative who would help us get settled and gain employment status so we could get our lives going again. I told him that I want my son to come with us, but he said the same thing: “You go first and I will make sure that your son follows.”

But once we got here, they stopped all contact. The first time we called them, they told us to relax and get some rest, and that they were looking into our immigration status. After that they stopped taking our calls and we were completely abandoned and had no idea who or where to turn to.”

“I’ve lost my job, my career, my life. We are estranged – from our own home, our country, my family, my son. From where I am standing right now, my future looks bleak.”

http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-protest/pakistan_2868.jsp

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According to the following source, Iftikhar Ahmed of Jawab Deh asked some tough questions from Dr Shahid Masood on this topic:

Dr Shaid was confronted on this program by Iftikhar—regarding Dr Shazia—Dr Shahid blamed it on his friend—I forgot the name—the the interviewer pegged him back by saying the he had talked to the other person who reitterated that it was Dr Shahid who was responsible of making the Dr Shaiza issue and making arrangements for her asylum to Canada.

It is on youtube and someone pasted that video on our site as well.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/members-club/39836-pakistan-kay-mutabiq-pakistans-voice-dr-shahid-masood-2.html

– Is Dr. Masood an agent of the Security network that controls the affairs in Pakistan?
– What was the cause of his saying that Dr. Shazia’s life is not guaranteed for even a day in Pakistan and that they should forget justice on her rape?
– What made him back off from the repeated promises that he would arrange Canada visa for her and just vanished like a ghost after Dr. Shazia and her hubby were standing and stranding on London footpaths.
– What restricts him not say a word on this incident?
http://jazbablog.com/jazba/2008/09/19/shahid-masood-2/

1. Dr. Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig compelled ill fated Dr. Shazia Khalid (who was brutally raped in Sui, Baluchistan) and her hubby to fly to London. For this purpose they arrived from Islamabad to Karachi and made several visits to the poor couple who were in the “safe” hands of Agency. While this act of them (instead of giving help to get justice from Pakistani courts, he threatened them that the couple’s lives were in danger and not safe for “even one day”) is against Dr. Shahid’s so self proclaimed image of champion of justice, this creates a question whether Dr. Shahid is Agency’s agent or not. Both Dr. Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig dissociated from this episode the moment Dr. Shazia and her hubby were standing and stranding on London footpaths as if they were never instrumental in the couple’s flight. If Dr. Masood by any chance reads this post, kindly tell the “hidden truth” to the masses.

http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/geo-tv-kamran-khan-and-the-lies-of-dr-shahid-masood/

From that moment on, Dr. Shahid has touched every issue and non-issue as well but never touched the issue of this horrible rape case and that what his role was in Dr. Shazia’s flight to London. Mind you, Dr. Shazia and her husband were in agency’s “safe hands” during the period these two journalists were visiting the couple and strongly pursuing them to leave the country. Only Dr. Shahid Masood can untie this knot.

http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/it-gets-worse-for-dr-shahid-masood/

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Dr Shaiza Khalid’s Interview (Source: BBC Urdu)

: ہم تو شروع سے چاہتے تھے کہ ہم کیس کریں، میڈیا میں آئیں تاکہ لوگوں کو پتہ چل سکے کہ میرے ساتھ کیا ہوا ہے اور ٹریبیونل کے لیے ہم کوئٹہ جانا چاہتے تھے۔

دیکھیں انہوں نے اپنی ایجینسیز کی رپورٹ پر کہہ دیا ہو گا کہ وہ بے قصور ہے لیکن ایک جگہ پہ انہوں یہ بھی کہا ہے کہ ڈاکٹر شازیہ کے کیس میں ان کو بہت کچھ پتہ ہے۔ لیکن اگر وہ اپنی بات فاش کریں گے تو ڈاکٹر شازیہ کی جان کو خطرہ ہے۔ اس کا مطلب ان کوپتہ تھا کہ ملزم کون ہے۔ مگر ٹھیک ہے اگر وہ چیف سسپکٹ نہیں ہے کوئی اور ہے تو ان کو پتہ ہے وہ کون ہے کیوں نہیں بتاتے۔

جب میری شناخت پریڈ ہوئی تھی تو شناخت پریڈ کے دوران ملٹری انٹیلیجنس کا ایک میجر آیا۔ اس نے کہا کہ جی آپ کی جانوں کو خطرہ ہے آپ ملک سے نکل جائیں تو اچھا ہے آپ کے لیے اور ہم آپ کو خوشخبری سنائیں گے آپ ملک سے باہر جہاں بھی جائیں گے تو ہم آپ کو خوشخبری سنائیں گے کہ ملزم پکڑا گیا ہے۔ ہمیں پتہ ہے، ایم آئی اے کے لوگوں کو پتہ ہے۔ یہ ٹربیونلز یہ پولیس انوسٹیگیشنز آپ ان کو چھوڑ دیں، یہ سب ہمارے اوپر ہے، ہم جانتے ہیں کہ اصل مجرم کون ہے۔وہ کہہ رہے ہیں کہ ان کو پتہ ہے۔اب جب ایم آئی اے کے لوگ کہہ رہے ہیں۔ وہ کور کمنانڈر کا پیغام لے کر آیا تھا میجر۔

سوال: کون سا کور کمانڈر
مسٹر خالد: نام نہیں بتایا۔ لیکن انہوں نہ کہا کہ میں بلوچستان سے آیا ہوں۔

سوال: اس نے آپ کو اپنا کارڈ دکھایا تھا، ایم آئی سے ہی تھا۔

جواب: وہاں ایس ایس پی جو تھا وہاں پہ، جج تھا جو ساتھ بیٹھا ہوا تھا۔ ان سے بھی وہ ملا تھا، ان سے بھی وہ باتیں کر رہا تھا۔ ہمیں اس نے کچھ نہیں بتایا کہ وہ ایم آئی کا آدمی تھا۔ میجر نے بتایا کہ دو طرح کے پیغام ہیں اس کے پاس، بلوچستان سے کچھ لوگ مارنا چاہ رہے ہیں آپ کو، کراچی میں گھوم رہے ہیں ہتھیاروں کے ساتھ، اس لیے آپ کی جان کو خطرہ ہے، ملک سے باہر چلے جائیں اور دوسرا یہ کہ جو کلپرٹ ہے اس کے بارے میں ہم جانتے ہیں۔ پولیس نہیں جانتی۔

سوال: آپ کہ رہی ہیں کہ آپ کا بیٹا بھی وہیں پر ہے۔ اپنے بیٹے کے بارے میں کچھ بتائیں۔
جواب: میرا یہ بیٹا لے کر پالا ہوا ہے ۔ جب چار سال کا تھا تو اس کے والد کی وفات ہوگئی تھی تو اس کی امی نے دوسری شادی کر لی تھی۔تب سے میں ہی اس کی دیکھ بھال کر رہی ہوں۔ لیکن مجھے ڈر لگ رہا ہے کیونکہ جب ہم اسلام آباد میں تھے تو وہ لوگ کہہ رہے تھے کے یہاں آپ کا بیٹا بھی ہے اور آپ تو چلے جائیں گے ہم کچھ بھی کر سکتے ہیں۔

سوال: یہ کس نے کہا تھا آپ کو؟

جواب: یہ نیوز آن لائن کے جو ڈائریکٹر ہیں محسن بیگ، انہوں نے کہا تھا۔

سوال: آپ کا جو بیٹا ہے اس کو انہوں نے آپ کو لے جانے نہیں دیا کہ آپ خود اس کو وہاں چھوڑ کر آئے ہیں۔

جواب: جب ہم کراچی میں تھے تو ڈاکٹر شاہد مسعود اے آر وائی کے اور محسن بیگ ہمارے پاس ملنے کے لیے آئے تو شاہد مسعود نے کہا کہ محسن بیگ حکومت کا بندہ ہے۔ ہم آپ کی مدد کریں گے۔ آپ کی جانوں کو خطرہ ہے۔

سوال: جانوں کا خطرہ کس سے ہے؟

جواب: کہنے لگے کہ اسلام آباد کی ایجنسیز سے ہم ملے ہیں تو آپ لوگوں کو بہت رسک ہے اور بلوچستان کے حالات آپ کی اشو کی وجہ بہت خراب ہو گئے ہیں۔

مسٹر خالد: ہم سے ملنے سے پہلے وہ اسلام آباد گئے تھے۔ محسن تو وہ ظاہری بات ہے کہ وہ ایجنسی کا بندہ ہی ہے اور شاہد مسعود نے بھی اس کا اقرار کیا۔ اس نے مجھے کہا تھا کہ محسن بیگ گورنمنٹ کا آدمی ہے۔ میں (شاہد مسعود) اور محسن آپ کی مدد کریں گے۔ اب گورنمنٹ شاہد مسعود اور محسن بیگ کے درمیان جو کھچڑی پک رہی تھی اس کا ہمیں تو علم نہیں۔ شاہد مسعود ہم سے اسلام آباد میں انٹرویو لینے کے بعد غائب ہو گیا تھا۔ پھر دوبئی سے اس نے فون کیا تھا۔ بڑا ڈرا ہوا تھا اور ایجنسیز کے لئیے اس نے کافی بری طرح سے باتیں کی تھیں کہ وہ تو ’مجھے ہی مار دینا چاہتے تھے اور میں اپنی جان بچا کے چار ائیرپورٹس سے اپنے ٹکٹ بک کرواکے اور جان بچا کے نکلا ہوں‘۔ پھر اس کے بعد محسن صاحب آ کے کھڑے ہو گئے جی شاہد مسعود صاحب کو ہم نے فرنٹ پہ رکھا ہوا تھا۔ سارا کام اور آپکا ویزہ وغیرہ تو ہمارا کام ہے، وہ تو ہم نے کیا ہے۔ پریزیڈنٹ سے بھی میں آپ کو اجازت دلوا رہا ہوں اور طارق عزیز جو سپیشل ایڈوائزر ہیں ان سے بھی اس نے ملاقات کروائی لیکن اس نے کہا تھا کہ- – – –

سوال: طارق عزیز سے ملے؟
جواب: مسٹر خالد: جی ان سے ملاقات ہوئی۔

سوال: انہوں نہ کیا کہا تھا آپ سے؟

مسٹر خالد: طارق عزیز سے جو ملاقات ہوئی تھی اس سے پہلے محسن بیگ صاحب نے ہمیں کہا تھا کہ آپ طارق عزیز صحاب کو کچھ نہ کہیں، آپ ان کی باتیں سنیں۔ میں نے کہا ٹھیک ہے۔ اور پھر ان سے ملاقات ہوئی انہوں نہ کہا کہ آپ نے تو بہت اچھا کیا ہے اور آپ کی سٹیٹمنٹ جو خود ہی انہوں تیار کی تھی اسی سٹیٹمنٹ کی بات کی۔

سوال: سٹیٹمنٹ میں کیا لکھا ہوا تھا؟

مسٹر خالد: سٹیٹمنٹ میں کچھ ایسی چیزیں تھیں جس طرح سے پی پی ایل کو بچایا گیا تھا کہ پی پی ایل نے شازیہ کو ٹریٹمنٹ دیا تھا، میڈیکل سپورٹ دی تھی۔ ایسی کوئی بات نہیں، دنیا کو پتہ ہے کہ پی پی ایل نے کیا رویہ اختیار کیا وہ تو آن ریکارڈ ہے، پولیس کے ریکارڈ سے آپ دیکھ لیں کہ انہوں نے کوئی تعاون پولیس کے ساتھ بھی نہیں کیا۔ تو وہ تو جھوٹ نہیں بول رہے۔ اور سینٹ میں بھی اس چیز کو اچھالا گیا ہے۔ ایم ڈی کو بلایا گیا ہے۔ بلکہ ٹریبیونل میں جو انکی یکطرفہ رپورٹس ہیں ان میں بھی یہ بتایا گیا ہے کہ پی پی ایل کی یہ ذمہ داری ہے۔

سوال: سٹیٹمنٹ میں یہ لکھا ہوا تھا کہ شازیہ کو پی پی ایل نے بڑی اچھی طرح سے ٹریٹ کیا۔

مسٹر خالد: جی

سوال: اور یہ وہ خود لکھ کے لائے ہوئے تھے؟

مسٹر خالد: جی لکھ کے لائے ہوئے تھے۔

ڈاکٹر شازیہ: اور ا س میں یہ بھی لکھا ہوا تھا کہ میں اپنی مرضی سے ملک چھوڑ کے جا رہی ہوں اور حکومت نے میرا بہت ساتھ دیا ہے۔ تو میں نے کہا کہ میں اس سٹیٹمنٹ پہ سائن نہیں کروں گی۔ تو محسن بیگ نے کہا کہ اگر تم سائن نہیں کرو گی تو ایجنسیز والے یہ کہتے کہ اگر ہم خالی کاغذ پر لکیریں بھی ڈالیں تب بھی آپ اس پر – – – -سائن کرکے یہاں سے اپنی جان بچاؤ اور بھاگو۔

سوال: اس میٹنگ میں جب آپ طارق عزیز سے ملے تھے تو آپ تھیں آپ کے خاوند تھے،محسن بیگ تھے اور طارق عزیز تھے بس۔ (تاہم محسن بیگ نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے اس بات کی تردید کی ہے کہ انہوں نے ڈاکٹر شازیہ کی ملاقات طارق عزیز سے کروائی تھی)۔

مسٹر خالد: نہیں شازیہ کی جو بھابھی تھی وہ ان کے ساتھ تھی، تو طارق عزیز کو بھی ہم نہ کہا تھا کہ عدنان کو وہ ہمارے بیٹے جیسا ہے ہم اس کو لے جانا چاہتے ہیں تو انہوں نے کہا کہ جی آپ اس وقت چلے جائیں آپ کے پاس وقت بہت کم ہے۔ آپ یو کے جائیں اور اس کے بعد محسن وغیرہ بھی ہیں ہم آپ لوگوں کی مدد کریں گے اور عدنان بھی آپ کو آ کر مل لے گا۔

سوال: پاسپورٹ آپ کے کس پاس تھے؟

مسٹر خالد: پاسپورٹ ہمارے شاہد مسعود کے پاس تھے اور جب اس کو انہوں نے نکال دیا تو اس نے پاسپورٹ جو تھے کسی دوست کو دئیے تھے اور ان کا دوست ہمارے پاس تقریباً رات ایک بجے آیا تھا اور پاسپورٹ ہمیں دے کر چلا گیا۔

سوال: ویزہ کس نے لگوایا تھا۔
جواب: دونوں نے۔ شاہد مسعود نے
مسٹر خالد: شاہد مسعود نے، محسن بیگ نے لگوایا ہے۔ اب کس نے لگوایا ہے ہمیں نہیں پتہ اس بات کا۔
ڈاکٹر شازیہ: دو دن میں وہ ہمارا پاسپورٹ لے کر گئے اور دو دن میں واپس کر دئیے۔ تو دو دن میں ویزا کون لگوا سکتا ہے۔

شیخ رشید صاحب کا بیان آیا تھا کہ ہم نے نہیں بھیجا اور کوئی این جی او ہے جس نے یہاں ان لوگوں کو بلوایا ہے۔

مسٹر خالد: شیخ رشید کا بیان اس طرح آیا تھا کہ ہمیں تو پتہ ہی نہیں ہے کہ ڈاکٹر شازیہ کیسے فلائی کر گئیں اور ہم نے امیگریشن سے پتہ کروایا کہ اس طرح کا کوئی بندہ نہیں گیا۔

سوال: ایک اخبار نے ایک فائنڈنگ کی تھی اور آپ کی تصویر آئی تھی ائیرپورٹ پر۔ وہ ائیرپورٹ پر ہی کھینچی گئی تھی، اس کے پیچھے جو صوفہ تھا وہ تو کہیں نہیں پایا گیا۔

جواب: نہیں جب مجھ سے سٹیٹمنٹ لی گئی تھی اسلام آباد میں اس وقت میرے فوٹوز نکالے تھے انہوں نے۔

مسٹر خالد: اس وقت گیسٹ ہاؤس میں فوٹو لئیے تھے۔ اچھا شیخ رشید صاحب کی بات کریں کیونکہ وہ تو اس طرح کی باتیں کر رہے ہیں کہ ہمیں جی پتہ نہیں ہے اور این جی اوز نے بھیجی ہیں۔ اس کے بعد ہیومن رائٹس اور این جی اوز نے اس باتوں کی تردید کی تھی۔ اب یہ بتائیں کہ حلومت اس طرح کے جھوٹ کب تک بولتی رہے گی۔

سوال: آپ کی کسی این جی اوز نے مدد نہیں کی تھی۔

مسٹر خالد: کسی این جی اوز نے نہیں۔ جب ہم طارق عزیز سے مل کر جا رہے ہیں اور ان سے اجازت لے کر جا رہے ہیں تو سمجھیں کہ بات تو ختم ہو گئی۔ ہم سمجھ رہے تھے جیسے کے صدر سے مل کے جا رہے تھے۔

اس وقت جو حالات تھے ہم خود گھبرائے ہوئے تھے اور ہمیں ڈرایا جا رہا تھا۔ اور محسن بیگ اس طرح کی باتیں کرتے تھے اور کہتے تھے یہاں سے نکل جائیں آپ کی زندگی بچ جائے گی۔

سوال: آپ وہاں سے جانا چاہتے تھے۔
جواب: ذاتی طور پہ ہم نہیں نکلنا چاہتے تھے لیکن حالات جو ہو گئے تھے تو ہم مجبور ہو گئے کہ ہم نکلیں۔اس اشو اتنا پولیٹیسائز کیا جا رہا تھا اور انصاف تو مل ہی نہیں پا رہا تھا۔ ایم آئی کے کرنل مجھے ملے تھے، کرنل حفاظت صاحب ملے تھے انہوں نے کہا کہ 48 گھنٹوں کے اندر آپ کو ایک بندہ ملے گا۔ کلپرٹ ملے گا۔ ایم آئی کے جنرل نے کہا کہ وہ میرے ہاتھ میں ہے۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/miscellaneous/story/2005/09/printable/050909_shazia_text_nisar.shtml

….

Another controversy surrounds Dr Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig
Saturday, June 19, 2010
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010619story_19-6-2010_pg7_4

* Email claims TV anchor had role in forcing rape victim Dr Shazia out of country

* Masood denied UK asylum for fraudulent practices

Staff Report

LAHORE: Noted TV show host Dr Shahid Masood is surrounded by yet another controversy after the surfacing of allegations regarding his role in forcing Dr Shazia Khalid out of the country.

Shazia had alleged that an army officer had raped her in a hospital while she was serving in Balochistan in 2005. The controversy is associated with an email circulated with the name of noted defence analyst Dr Ayesha Siddiqa. The email said Dr Shahid Masood and another person, Mohsin Baig, harassed Dr Shazia, warning her that she and her family would be assassinated if they did not leave the country immediately and if the proceedings of her case were not halted in Pakistan.

Dr Shazia was quoted as saying that Dr Shahid and Mohsin Baig made her rush out of the country. Daily Times tried contacting Dr Shahid a number of times for comments, but failed to get through.

British refusal: Also, documents obtained from reliable sources in the British Home Office revealed that Masood was denied asylum in the United Kingdom for fraudulent practices.

According to the documents, he travelled to the UK on April 26, 2000, with his family. Masood sought asylum in Britain on May 3, 2000, but his request was denied by the British authorities who stated, “On June 9, 2000, a decision was made to give directions for his removal from the United Kingdom as mentioned in Section 16(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 and to refuse to grant asylum under paragraph 336 of HC 395.” Paragraph 336 of HC 395 authorises British officials concerned to remove any individual who enters the UK illegally.

While giving the reasons for the rejection, the authorities wrote, “He claimed to have entered the United Kingdom on April 26, 2000, using a Pakistani passport of which he was not the rightful owner, accompanied by his daughter and his sister and her two children.” Dr Shahid attached a statement of evidence form SEF3 dated May 16, 2000, asylum interview record SEF4 dated June 5, 2000, and other documents supporting his application. The document mentioned Home Office Reference Number M1045053, and Port Reference Number EDD/00/4390.

Source

Khalid Humayun:

I think Dr. Shazia Khalid rape case in Sui Baluchistan also belongs to 2005 and in that case a captain of Pak Army is an alleged accused. Without coming in the court of law and clearing his innocence, Captain Hammad was cleared by none other than Musharraf stating that the matter had been investigated and Captain Hammad was not involved in any way. Not to mention, two eminent journalists compelled Dr Shazia and her hubby to fly away from Pakistan lest they were going to be killed. Where do the courts of Pakistan and justice stand in between this sordid story? And where are those two journalists namely Dr. Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig and under whose instructions they came all the way from Islamabad to Karachi to convey the message to the iill fated couple “better leave the country of face the death”.

Dr. Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig, arrived all the way from Islamabad to Karachi and met the poor couple and advised them that they better leave the country within “24 hours” as “their lifes are not safe for even one day”. Who are Dr. Shahid Masood and Mohsin Baig? Are not they media men? Five years of this brutal rape has gone by and not a single word from these two gentlemen!

14 Comments to “Mohsin Baig’s Online-International News Network: A news ‘agency’ you can trust!”

  1. Feel free to contact the ‘agency’ network.

    http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/contactus.php

    Contact Us

    Head Office

    Editor-in-Chief / Chief Executive Officer
    Mohsin Jamil Baig
    House 69, Bhittai Road, F-7/4,
    Islamabad, Pakistan.
    Ph: 92-51-8435137-40, Fax: 92-51-2611472-3
    Email: online@dsl.net.pk

    Editor Europe
    Sohail Iqbal
    Cell: +44 7786984696
    miansohail@hotmail.com

    Managing Editor
    Abdul Khaliq Ali

    Editor
    Siddiq Sajid

    News Editor (Urdu)
    Zia ul Islam

    News Editor(English)
    Aneela Riaz ud Din

    Chief Reporter
    Afzal Javed

    Chief Photographer
    Waseem Khan

    Chief IT Coordinator
    Mohammed Shabbir

    Manager Accounts
    Rishwan Malik

    H. # 69, Bhittai Road, F-7/4, Islamabad-Pakistan
    Ph: 8435137-40, Fax: 2611472-3
    Email: online@dsl.net.pk

    Karachi Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Amir Latif
    C-205, National Auto Plaza, Marston Road Sadar, Karachi
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    Email: onlinean@khi.comsats.net.pk

    Lahore Bureau

    Bureau Chief
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    Ph: 616199/633733, Fax: 634552
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    Hyderabad Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Muhammad Yasin
    C-55, Block D, Unit 6, Latifabad
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    Roshan Mughal
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    Multan Bureau

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    Rehan Iqbal Burni
    20-G, Street 5, Osmanabad Colony
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    Sialkot Bureau

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    Iftikhar Hussain Malik
    Sublime Chowk, Wazirabad Road
    Ph: 256004, 551149, Mobile: 0300-9617752

    Bahawalpur Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Irfan Hussain
    # 25, Municipal Colony.
    Ph: 062-3101468, Mobile: 0300-6816215, Fax: 062-2881225
    Email: onlinebwp@gmail.com

    Kuwait Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    M.Buland Akhtar
    email: onlinekwt@hotmail.com

    United States of America Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Muhammad Salim Siddiqi
    358 Wayne St.
    Jersey City N.J.
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    Telephone # 201 709 2126
    Fax # 212 656 1153
    email: salimpk02@aol.com
    salimpk02@gmail.com

    United Kingdom Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Ahmer Shaheen
    20 Alma Road, Southall, Middlesex,
    United Kingdom, UB1 1PD
    Ph: 00 44 (0) 208 571 9170 & 00 44 (0) 208 917 9336
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    onlineuk@inbox.com

    Australia Bureau

    Bureau Chief
    Dr. Farah Adeeb
    Civic Gardens, CANNINGTON, PERTH, WA 6107
    Mobile Ph: 00 61 4242 70819
    email: ffadeeb1@pilot.pprune.com

  2. The ISI’s asset is quite active in CPNE:

    No confidence expressed in CPNE president, GS

    Those who supported the resolution in this regard are: Shaheen Qureshi (Senior Vice President), Sajjad Bokhari (Vice President – Punjab), Ilyas Shakir (Vice President – Sindh), Ghulam Akbar (Vice President – Islamabad), Pir Sufaid Shah (Vice President – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Wasim Ahmad (Vice President – Balochistan), Javed Maher Shamsi (Joint Secretary), Younus Riaz (Peopar), Munir Jilani (Daily Paigham), Abdul Rashid Ghazi (Business Report), Mahtab Abbasi (Daily Ausaf), Qazi Asad Abid (Daily Ibrat), Najmuddin Sheikh (Daily Dyanat), Dr Waqar Yusuf Azimi (Roohani Digest), Mukhtar Aqil (Daily Jurat), Mohsin Beg (Online), Sohail Chaudhry (Daily Pakistan, Inaayattullah Niazi (Monthly Naya Rukh), and Rais Ahmad (Daily Millat).

    http://broadkast.pk/main/2010/11/no-confidence-expressed-in-cpne-president-gs/

  3. PAKISTANI MEDIA PUPPETS OF Khaki’s !

    Excellent Information Gathering !
    Geo TV and its team of Goebbels – by Irfan Urfi
    http://criticalppp.com/archives/28921

    http://ejang.jang.com.pk/12-10-2010/Karachi/images
    /924.gif

  4. Mohsin Baig elected PNAC president

    ISLAMABAD: Online News Agency Editor-in-Chief Mohsin Jameel Baig was unanimously elected president of the Pakistan News Agencies Council (PNAC) on Tuesday. NNI Editor-in-Chief Rana Tahir Mehmood was elected vice president, South Asian News Agency News Editor-in-Chief Shakeel Ahmed Turabi secretary general and INP Editor-in-Chief Asif Salahuddin was elected finance secretary. ANN Editor-in-Chief Abdul Qayyum Farooqi, Inter News Chief Editor Aslam Khanna and PPI Bureau Chief Adnan Iftikhar were made executive members of the Council. The representatives of the council have been elected for a period of two years. Earlier, a meeting of the PNAC was held in which a host of issues came under discussion including the approval of an amendment to the constitution of the council. online

    http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010623story_23-6-2010_pg7_8

  5. Pakistan media retract fake WikiLeaks story
    AFP

    (6 hours ago) Today
    Tagged: pak-india relations, the news, tribune, WikiLeaks, wikileaks cable

    Leading Pakistani newspapers on Friday retracted an explosive story that used fake US diplomatic cables to brand Indian generals “genocidal” and accuse New Delhi of sponsoring militants. – (File Photo)
    ISLAMABAD: Leading Pakistani newspapers on Friday retracted an explosive story that used fake US diplomatic cables to brand Indian generals “genocidal” and accuse New Delhi of sponsoring militants.

    The News claimed on Thursday that cables released by WikiLeaks showed Indian spies were supporting militants in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region of Waziristan and the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

    Datelined from Washington, the newspaper told how US diplomats thought of one Indian general as “incompetent” and a “geek”, and of another as “self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic” and “barely tolerated” by subordinates.

    It likened another to late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic “with regard to butchering Muslims through war crimes” in Indian-administered Kashmir.

    But on Friday The News wrote that “on further inquiries, we learnt from our sources that the story was dubious and may have been planted.”The News said the report originated from some local websites “known for their close connections with certain intelligence agencies”.

    A variety of Pakistani newspapers carried the report on Thursday, crediting the story to the Islamabad-based Online news agency, where a receptionist on Friday refused to put through telephone calls from AFP to senior editors.

    English-language newspaper The Express Tribune also published a front-page retraction, saying it “deeply regrets publishing this story without due verification and apologises profusely for any inconvenience”.

    India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment continues to see India as its primary threat, despite a Taliban insurgency along the Afghan border. – AFP

    http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/10/pakistan-media-retract-fake-wikileaks-story.html

  6. The ISI’s man behind the scene (Mohsin Baig with another ISI tout Rana Mubashir):

    “We must support our army, our intelligence services to save Pakistan”, he says. He is all praise for the army, and all criticism for politicians.

  7. It was funny to read this news in Jang: http://ejang.jang.com.pk/12-11-2010/Karachi/pic.asp?picname=914.gif

    Ok, Online may have screwed up but dont you guys at Jang need to verify the sources? It wasnt the Daily Mail of England but Daily Mail of Ahmed Quraishi that was the source 🙂

  8. @Ahmed

    There is no difference between Daily Mail of Ahmed Quraishi, Online of Mohsin Baig, daily Jang of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and daily Nawaiwaqt of Majeed Nizami.

    Origins of all these wonderful news outlets emanate from Pakistan’s most influential news agency located in Aabpara, Islamabad.

  9. Mohsian Baig’s (and Online’s) stupidity is now officially certified. Here is their formal clarification:

    Clarification about wikileaks story

    Here is the clarification about WikiLeaks disclosures regarding Indian Interference in Balochistan and Waziristan, Indian army and Israel.

    Editors/News editors CLARIFICATION On Dec 9th 2010 a news item attributed to our organization was published in some English Newspapers and Urdu Papers with regards to WikiLeaks disclosures regarding Indian Interference in Balochistan and Waziristan, Indian army and Israel. We had lifted this news by searching various search engines as part of regular scanning process for finding news about WikiLeaks disclosures, which has become a hot topic of every newspaper. On Dec 10 some of English and Urdu newspapers had criticized us of the report not being accurate and some of them even went to the extent of accusing us of wrong use of WikiLeaks documents for propaganda purposes and we had released a planted news item. While the truth is just the opposite if anyone goes on Goggle and writes: Wikileaks Leak About India, Israel And Afghanistan one would be able to get the same news we got. We are also attaching the news which we downloaded from the Internet so that the matter is clarified. One more thing we like to mention is that we had not received any notice or written compliant from WikiLeaks spokesman. The only mistake on our part was that we had not mentioned the link or source of the news for which we apologies. I hope you would publish our point of view as well in your esteemed newspapers.

    Thanks Siddique Sajid Editor Online Int’l News Network

    http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=172244

  10. The fictitious cables seemed to have validated and substantiated every allegation and insinuation that rightwing nationalists and hawks of the military-intelligence apparatus harbour against India. But the revelations contained in these cables failed all tests of veracity and dampened any celebrations planned by those who penned them down and the right-wing, nationalist gallery the cables were intended for.
    The fingers of blame are being pointed at the Online news agency, thought to have links to the country’s ‘powerful’ intelligence agencies.

    http://tribune.com.pk/story/88501/lies-damned-lies/

  11. Scape goat. Mohsin Baig fires his editor as a convenient scapegoat, however, how will be explain his own role in Dr Shazia Khalid’s case, his untiring defence of the ISI and Pakistan Army, and other similar stories planed by his (ISI’s) Online News Agency?

    Fake WikiLeaks: Pakistan news agency editor sacked

    2010-12-12 12:10:00
    Last Updated: 2010-12-12 18:39:10
    Heart Problem Symptoms?Ads by GoogleDon’t Ignore Them. Contact Us! Our Medical Staff Is Here For You. SHL-telemedicine.co.uk
    Pakistan Flag
    Islamabad: Siddique Sajid, editor of Pakistan’s Online news agency, has been sacked after it published a fake WikiLeaks report that New Delhi allegedly played a role in destabilizing the country’s Balochistan province.

    Online editor-in-chief Mohsin J. Baig, soon upon his return from Turkey where he had accompanied Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani during his official visit there, had ordered an enquiry into the fake WikiLeaks story.

    Pakistani agency faces heat, blames WikiLeaks fiasco on a daily

    The decision to sack Siddique Sajid was taken after it was established in the enquiry that he had ‘solely misused’ his editorial authority in the absence of the news agency’s editor-in-chief by ‘fabricating a false story on a highly sensitive subject such as the WikiLeaks’ disclosure’, Online said on its website.

    It regretted the release of the story, its subsequent publication by media, and ‘the consequent erosion of its public credibility’.

    The Online International News Network is one of Pakistan’s largest news agencies.

    ‘We shall continue to perform this useful role in a responsible way as we have always done,’ Baig was quoted as saying.

    ‘I know the difficulty of reporting in a place laced with vested interests operating clandestinely, but reporting on currently the most volatile subject in global media and, that also, without corroborating the story’s contents with factual documents is unacceptable,’ he added.

    The Online story had mentioned India’s role in allegedly destabilizing Pakistan’s tribal areas and Balochistan province and attributed these statements to then US ambassador to India, citing WikiLeaks.

    Online had claimed Saturday that ‘the said story was lifted from the Daily Mail newspaper published from Islamabad’.

    Pakistani media embarrassed by fake WikiLeaks disclosures

    ‘The newspaper is believed to be close to the intelligence agencies in Pakistan and planted stories,’ Online said.

    ‘We have been regularly reproducing stuff from Pakistani media organisations and releasing prominent points,’ the clarification read.

    http://sify.com/news/fake-wikileaks-pakistan-news-agency-editor-sacked-news-international-kmmmkgdgggb.html

    http://ibnlive.in.com/news/online-sacks-editor-over-fake-us-cables-report/137200-2.html?from=tn

  12. Shame on Mohsin Baig for firing a low level editor while protecting his own skin. He must show some honour, accept his links with the ISI and apologize to the nation:

    Online Editor Sacked

    Decision made after Editor found solely responsible for making a fabricated story.

    December 11, 2010 Islamabad

    The enquiry was ordered and led by Mohsin J Baig, the Editor-in-Chief of Online, soon upon his return from Turkey, where he had accompanied Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani during his official visit there.

    The decision to sack Mr. Siddique Sajid was made after it was established in the enquiry that he had ‘solely misused’ his editorial authority in the absence of the news agency’s Editor-in-Chief by ‘fabricating a false story’ on a highly sensitive subject such as the WikiLeaks’ disclosure.

    The Online Management regrets the release of the said story by Online, its subsequent publication by media, and the consequent erosion of their public credibility. It assures the subscribers and readers of the news service that stringent measures are being adopted to prevent vested interests from planting such fabricated stories.

    The Online International News Network is Pakistan’s largest news agency, with well over a decade long track-record of fair and balanced reporting, both news and photos, from Pakistan, the region and across the world.

    ‘We shall continue to perform this useful role in a responsible way as we have always done,’ said Mohsin J Baig, the Editor-in-Chief.

    ’I know the difficulty of reporting in a place laced with vested interests operating clandestinely, but reporting on currently the most volatile subject in global media and, that also, without corroborating the story’s contents with factual documents is unacceptable,’ Mr. Baig added, while justifying the sacking of the Editor Online.

    http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=172286

  13. How can he sack his Editor while he himself said this:

    اس بارے میں بی بی سی کے نامہ نگار حفیظ چاچڑ سے بات کرتے ہوئے خبر رساں ایجنسی آن لائن کے سربراہ محسن بیگ نےدعوٰی کیا یہ دستاویز اصل ہے۔ انہوں نے ان اخبارات پر تنقید کی جنہوں نے اس خبر پر معذرت شائع کی ہے۔

    ان کے مطابق ’اگر ہماری خبر کی وکی لیکس تردید کر دے تو ان اخبارات کی معذرت جائز ہے اور وکی لیکس کی اس خبر کے انٹرنیٹ پر بے شمار لنکس موجود ہیں‘۔

    محسن بیگ نے کہا کہ وکی لیکس کے دستاویزات شائع کرنے کا برطانوی اخبار گارڈین کے پاس کوئی اختیار نہیں ہے اور یہ دستاویزات انٹرنیٹ پر موجود ہیں اور انہیں کوئی بھی چھاپ سکتا ہے۔ انہوں نے ان خبروں کی بھی تردید کی جن میں کہا گیا ہے کہ خبر رساں ایجنسی کو یہ خبر مخصوص مقاصد پورے کرنے کے لیے دی گئی تھی۔

    Source: BBC Urdu
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/12/101210_fake_wikileaks_pk_zs.shtml

  14. Online, the agency which wired the story, is known in the business to be dodgy. And yet, the story went through several stages unverified. This newspaper has had the decency to print an apology, which is commendable. But the apology does not take care of streamlining the internal systems that failed to detect the plant. That requires taking other measures.
    Interestingly, the argument that the nature of the story and the breathless desire to run it were responsible for stretching the system can be as effectively used to press the opposite point — that when a newspaper gets a story like that, it should have more cause to be cautious about running it because the fall, if it gets it wrong, will be steeper.
    Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2010.

    Ejaz Haider
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/89656/fabricated-nonsense/

    Mohsin Baig

    we must also take into account the credentials of one named as Mohsin Baig who happens to be the chief editor/owner of Online and Pulse magazine. The billionaire real estate tycoon was an ordinary person about 15 years ago. The gentleman had a case registered against him in Aabpara Police Station for a car theft case. His brother in law, the late Zubair Mir, who was a photographer in the Frontier Post, Peshawer and very close to its owner Rehmat Shah Afridi requested Mr Afridi to help.

    Rehmat Shah Afridi helped him get a US visa which he used to abscond. In US he got the chance to ‘facilitate’ VIP’s of the Musharraf regime in pleasure tourism, shopping, boozing etc. The most prominent catch was Tariq Aziz who made his return to Pakistan possible. He has not looked back since then. He was the chief wheeler dealer during the Musharraf regime who delivered half of the islamabad media to the regime. He arranged meetings of top journalists with Tariq Aziz and Musharraf. He was given the lease of islamabad’s poshest cricket ground, of which he is still the president, where important newsmen, bureaucrats were served with choicest liquor and food. He used those terms to make billions in real estate, some of them the most shady deals yet to be investigated. His only journalistic credwentials were that he was the brother in law of a FP photographer ( a very good one by the way). But he now claims to be a journalists and since he is media baron other ‘dogs will not eat dogs’ meat.’ Interestingly, he used the same real estate connections, Riaz malik of Behria Town fame, to get close to Asif Zardari. He runs a virtual mafia as he also got close to intelligenbce agencies during this time. While there is lot of attention on the online news somebody should also look into the organisation itself. How it was formed during the Musharraf regime; who funded it–it remains the biggest recepient of secret funds of the Info ministry.

    http://cafepyala.blogspot.com/2010/12/you-can-plug-leak-but-can-you-plug.html

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