brush with intelligence - I

the other day at a dinner when someone found out that I was a journalist asked me whether i had experienced any dangerous situations -- i have done no wartime reporter, hell i have done no reporting from FATA or Swat either so cant say its been dangerous -- interesting, intriguing perhaps?
the first time i had a brush with intelligence agencies was when i was a reporter in lahore - nawaz sharif has been ousted musharraf had taken over and the army had been deployed in WAPDA -- in the typical army response after any coup, as if deputing uniformed soldiers (and not qualified and competent engineers) was the answer to making a power utility company more efficient -- WAPDA was also my beat temporarily and i got a call from a col mansoor who it turns out had sent his staff to my house in defence as well -- this given that i had been living in said house for barely two weeks -- sharing it with the owner who was a single doctor -- and a family friend of a my brother in law -- i told my editor, Tahir Mirza, who said no harm in meeting the people -- so off i went -- turns out it is an unmarked house very close to the then airport -- went in -- all men in civilian clothes and met the brigadier who was most interested in my reporting of seminars organized by Nighat Said Khan's ASR -- and told me that any story that I did for my paper which wasnt carried I could give to them! and the col who had invited me was also there and gave me his cell and told me if i ever needed anything - anything -- i should get in touch with him -- during my brief meeting with the brigadier sahab a call came from a man in the field who was calling from a lawyer's function or something like that

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