Refugee journalist in Malaysia tells of ‘threat by Pakistan intelligence’

Pakistani journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah, who has been living in Malaysia as a refugee since 2011.

PETALING JAYA: A journalist from Pakistan, who has been a refugee in Malaysia for eight years, says he fears for his safety after receiving a threat by an intelligence agency in his home country.

Syed Fawad Ali Shah, whose work on missing persons in Pakistan in 2008 eventually caused him to flee the country, said the threat came in a letter delivered by courier at 9.30am on Dec 6. The letter was addressed to his residence in the Klang Valley.

He told FMT: “The letter stated, ‘Listen here, Fawad, remember the last hospitality that was extended to you. We thought you had learnt your lesson but you are still not mending your ways’.”

He was being given “the last opportunity” to go to an agency in Kuala Lumpur to get an emergency passport. “They will arrange your ticket and other things, if you refuse to do so then we will make a horrific example of you,” the letter said, according to Fawad.

The letter included a reminder that his family members were still in Pakistan.

Fawad claimed that he recognised the agency’s logo on the envelope as resembling that of ISI (Inter Services Intelligence), the premier intelligence agency in Pakistan. He said he was shocked that the Pakistani agency knew his local address in Malaysia, adding that he does not feel safe here.

“I am lodging a report for my personal protection and if something happens to me the Pakistani agency should be held responsible,” he added.

Fawad said after lodging the report, he was questioned by the police for three hours and his case is now being handled by Special Branch for further investigations.

Fawad came to Malaysia in 2011 through Thailand and was eventually granted refugee status by the the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR). His troubles began in 2008 when he decided to investigate cases of missing persons.

His work eventually led him to believe that the authorities were involved in the disappearance of these people, many of whom were accused of everything from spying for the Americans and Indians, to working for the Taliban.

While he worked on other articles he continued to pursue cases of missing persons. In 2010, he was detained for 18 days and interviewed by officers carrying ISI files.

Fawad was eventually released with a warning: stop writing about missing persons, and give up journalism.

In August 2011, he left for Thailand with US$2,500 that he had saved. From Thailand, he travelled to Penang where he worked at a company monitoring CCTVs, earning RM1,100 monthly before being interviewed 18 times by UNHCR before he was recognised as a refugee.

Fawad still writes articles about his country which appear in numerous Pakistani newspapers. - FMT