Three SC judges named for commission to probe attack on Hamid Mir

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on Monday approved three names of Supreme Court judges for the judicial commission to probe the attack on senior journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir who was injured in a gun attack in Karachi on Saturday. The judges who will be on the commission are Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Ejaz Afzal and Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman. Prime Minister Sharif also visited Mir earlier today at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi where the senior journalist is undergoing treatment. Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Sharif had decided to constitute a three-member judicial commission to probe into the attack. A formal request in this regard was later sent to Chief Justice Jillani to nominate three members for the commission. The government has also announced a reward of Rs10 million for any information leading to the arrest of culprits. Mir was injured after his arrival in Karachi on Saturday when unknown gunmen opened fire on the vehicle he was travelling in near Natha Khan area on Shahrah-i-Faisal road. Doctors responsible for treating Mir reported later on Saturday that his condition was out of danger. No militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Mir which wasn’t the first time an attempt was made on his life. In Nov 2012, Mir narrowly escaped a bid on his life when the bomb disposal squad defused a bomb planted under his car in Islamabad. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for that attempt and said it was targeting the journalist due to his "secular agenda". Last month, a gun attack on noted columnist and TV anchorperson Raza Rumi in Lahore led to the death of his driver. Rights groups say Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for working journalists. According to media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders, in Pakistan seven reporters lost their lives in the line of duty in 2013. Earlier in March, Pakistan announced it would set up a special commission to protect journalists and would include press freedom as part of the agenda in peace talks with the Taliban.