SAMC deplores killing of two journalists
Friday, 28 August 2009
FE Report
South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) has expressed outrage at the recent killing of two journalists, one Afghan and the other Pakistani, in Pakistan.
The Commission was formed in April 2007 to monitor journalists' safety and violation of media rights and to publish periodical reports, says a press release.
Janullah Hashimzada, bureau chief in Peshawar, Pakistan, for Afghanistan's Shamshad Television, known for his critical reporting on the Taliban was shot dead in Khyber Pass, near the town of Jamrud in the Khyber tribal district. His colleague Ali Khan was seriously injured in the attack.
On August 17, Aaj TV correspondent Sadiq Bacha Khan was gunned down on his way to work in Mardan, a town in the restive Northwest Frontier Province. Khan was shot at least 15 times. Khan was a former president of the Mardan Press Club and was also involved in relief efforts for internally displaced persons from the volatile Swat valley.
"These were purely targeted killings for being critical of the Taliban. The killings highlight the perils of reporting from such a dangerous part of the world for journalists," the SAMC President N Ram and Secretary General Najam Sethi said in a statement.
"The Pakistani government should transparently investigate the murder and bring to justice the perpetrators of the murders so that the killers of journalists understand they cannot operate with impunity," says the statement issued to the media by Regional Coordinator Husain Naqi.
South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) has expressed outrage at the recent killing of two journalists, one Afghan and the other Pakistani, in Pakistan.
The Commission was formed in April 2007 to monitor journalists' safety and violation of media rights and to publish periodical reports, says a press release.
Janullah Hashimzada, bureau chief in Peshawar, Pakistan, for Afghanistan's Shamshad Television, known for his critical reporting on the Taliban was shot dead in Khyber Pass, near the town of Jamrud in the Khyber tribal district. His colleague Ali Khan was seriously injured in the attack.
On August 17, Aaj TV correspondent Sadiq Bacha Khan was gunned down on his way to work in Mardan, a town in the restive Northwest Frontier Province. Khan was shot at least 15 times. Khan was a former president of the Mardan Press Club and was also involved in relief efforts for internally displaced persons from the volatile Swat valley.
"These were purely targeted killings for being critical of the Taliban. The killings highlight the perils of reporting from such a dangerous part of the world for journalists," the SAMC President N Ram and Secretary General Najam Sethi said in a statement.
"The Pakistani government should transparently investigate the murder and bring to justice the perpetrators of the murders so that the killers of journalists understand they cannot operate with impunity," says the statement issued to the media by Regional Coordinator Husain Naqi.