Pakistani TV presenter survives shooting attack

Unknown gunmen on motorbikes opened fire at a prominent Pakistani television broadcaster on a busy road in the southern port city of Karachi on Saturday, officials said.

Hamid Mir, who hosts a popular talk show on Pakistan's Geo News channel, has been outspoken in his political views, and the assassination attempt comes amid a wave of attacks on journalists in Pakistan. 

Mir was traveling to his office from the airport when his car came under attack, senior police official Peer Muhammad Shah told AFP.

"Four gunmen riding on motorbikes started firing at the car near Karsaz (east of the city) when Mir's car was passing through, he received three bullets in the lower parts of his body," Shah said.

Karachi police chief Shahid Hayat confirmed the incident, saying: "Hamid Mir has received three bullets but the doctors told me that he is out of danger."

Mir has long been a critic of the country's powerful intelligence agencies and military for their alleged role in the disappearance of thousands of people in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Amir Mir, brother of Hamid and also a journalist, accused the country's powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency of responsibility for the attack, saying the wounded television anchor had felt threatened before the attack.

"He had told me that if anything happens to him, the ISI chief General Zaheer-ul-Islam would be responsible for it," he told AFP. He blamed a "disgruntled faction of the army and ISI" for attempting to assassinate his brother.

"The ISI chief was not happy with him because he exposed their human rights abuses in Baluchistan, he said. "The army and its powerful intelligence agency cannot bear criticism from journalists."

He added the army disliked perceived attacks on the military's role in politics. Pakistan's intelligence agencies have long been accused of harassing and threatening journalists.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attack, calling it "the latest in a series of worrisome attacks on journalists in Pakistan."

"Freedom of the press, including ensuring that journalists can safely carry out their vital mission, is of paramount importance to freedom of expression and to the healthy functioning of any democracy," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a release Saturday.

Last year Hamid Mir survived a bomb attack in Islamabad when a bomb planted under his car was defused before it could go off. The journalist had also complained of receiving death threats from the country's powerful intelligence agency.

The army described the accusations as baseless in a statement via the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the armed forces, which said it "condemned the incident and demanded an independent inquiry."

The statement added that "raising allegations against ISI or the head of ISI without any basis is highly regrettable and misleading."

Last month Raza Rumi, a prominent television anchor known for his outspoken critical views of the Taliban, survived a similar assassination attempt in Lahore. Rumi's driver died of the injuries he sustained.

Earlier in March, Pakistan announced it would set up a special commission to protect journalists and will include press freedom as part of peace talks with the Taliban. Rights groups have called Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, seven reporters lost their lives in Pakistan last year.

Al Jazeera and AFP