HARIPUR: Sohail Khan, a young journalist working for a private television channel on Tuesday was gunned down by unidentified armed assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Haripur district.
Khan had earlier today submitted an application at the DPO (District Police Officer) office regarding threats being received, however before the police could take any action, the journalist lost his life in the line of duty. Sohail was gunned down in Hitar area, just months after Bakshish Elahi, bureau chief of another media organization was killed in the same district.
Sohail Khan's last report was on drug trafficking, after which he was shot dead. Various press monitoring organizations including Freedom Network confirmed the death of the young journalist.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) police Hazara has taken notice of the journalist's targeted killing, constituting a special team to arrest the culprits at the earliest. On the other hand, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Media has condemned the incident and guaranteed that law enforcement agencies would do justice.
Senior journalist Hamid Mir also expressed concern in a tweet stating that "Sohail Khan was the fourth journalist who was killed in the line of duty in Pakistan this year. Three were killed in KPK and one in Punjab." Mir, previously survived a failed attack back in 2014.
https://twitter.com/HamidMirPAK/status/1052200166877478913
Another journalist, Imtiaz Chandio also took it to Twitter, criticizing KP government's tall claims of police reforms that failed to give protection or save Sohail, even after application to the DPO.
https://twitter.com/imtiazchandyo/status/1052273666388619265
Pakistan, as per reports is ranked one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a special report in September 2018 "Acts of Intimidation", criticizing authorities of restricting reporting by barring access. According to the report, the killing of journalists in Pakistan is declining but so is the press freedom. Journalists who cover sensitive issues related to the military or are critical of authorities are threatened, killed or arrested.
As per the report, the military quietly encourages self-censorship through acts of direct or indirect intimidation, allegedly instigating violence against reporters.
CPJ stated in its special report that the deterioration in the climate for press freedom in Pakistan accompanied a reduction in murders and attacks against the media. Senior journalists believe that press censorship or media freedom is as bad as when the country was under a military dictatorship.
Furthermore, as per the report, issues including religion, land disputes and the economy can spark retaliation and laws such as the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO), a counter-terrorism law that allows people to be detained without charge for 90 days. The law is used as retaliation against journalists who do critical reporting. Moreover, female journalists face additional pressures while reporting in religiously conservative areas such as KPK or rural districts.
Although, Pakistan's constitution assures freedom of press and access to information yet true press freedom is elusive. The report states that the military though not solely responsible for the pressures faced by media but its hands are visible and found everywhere in self-encouraged media censorship.
Khan had earlier today submitted an application at the DPO (District Police Officer) office regarding threats being received, however before the police could take any action, the journalist lost his life in the line of duty. Sohail was gunned down in Hitar area, just months after Bakshish Elahi, bureau chief of another media organization was killed in the same district.
Sohail Khan's last report was on drug trafficking, after which he was shot dead. Various press monitoring organizations including Freedom Network confirmed the death of the young journalist.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) police Hazara has taken notice of the journalist's targeted killing, constituting a special team to arrest the culprits at the earliest. On the other hand, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Media has condemned the incident and guaranteed that law enforcement agencies would do justice.
Senior journalist Hamid Mir also expressed concern in a tweet stating that "Sohail Khan was the fourth journalist who was killed in the line of duty in Pakistan this year. Three were killed in KPK and one in Punjab." Mir, previously survived a failed attack back in 2014.
https://twitter.com/HamidMirPAK/status/1052200166877478913
Another journalist, Imtiaz Chandio also took it to Twitter, criticizing KP government's tall claims of police reforms that failed to give protection or save Sohail, even after application to the DPO.
https://twitter.com/imtiazchandyo/status/1052273666388619265
Pakistan, as per reports is ranked one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a special report in September 2018 "Acts of Intimidation", criticizing authorities of restricting reporting by barring access. According to the report, the killing of journalists in Pakistan is declining but so is the press freedom. Journalists who cover sensitive issues related to the military or are critical of authorities are threatened, killed or arrested.
As per the report, the military quietly encourages self-censorship through acts of direct or indirect intimidation, allegedly instigating violence against reporters.
CPJ stated in its special report that the deterioration in the climate for press freedom in Pakistan accompanied a reduction in murders and attacks against the media. Senior journalists believe that press censorship or media freedom is as bad as when the country was under a military dictatorship.
Furthermore, as per the report, issues including religion, land disputes and the economy can spark retaliation and laws such as the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO), a counter-terrorism law that allows people to be detained without charge for 90 days. The law is used as retaliation against journalists who do critical reporting. Moreover, female journalists face additional pressures while reporting in religiously conservative areas such as KPK or rural districts.
Although, Pakistan's constitution assures freedom of press and access to information yet true press freedom is elusive. The report states that the military though not solely responsible for the pressures faced by media but its hands are visible and found everywhere in self-encouraged media censorship.