Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists and it is becoming an increasingly difficult place for media personnel to work here safely.

Pakistan has been a “frontline state” for almost four decades, which has polarised society and destroyed people’s sense of security.

Over the last decade, I’ve seen Pakistan’s media industry experience remarkable growth and transformation, largely due to the advent of private TV channels. However, the safety and security of media practitioners here has deteriorated markedly.

More than 50 journalists have been targeted and murdered since 2002, according to research by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

The threat to journalists like me has grown dramatically in the past decade with the alarming rise in militancy. The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have posed an ever greater threat to journalists – and to all citizens – since 2002 when, in the wake of 9/11, the government began to try to counter their rising power and influence.

Journalists are not only targeted by militants, but also by political, religious, ethnic and other pressure groups, as well as law enforcement agencies.

For every journalist who has been deliberately targeted and murdered, many others have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence.

The increase in threats and violence has forced many of my colleagues to resort to self-censorship, relocation or even to leave the profession altogether. As a consequence, news reports from conflict areas are based on press releases, not on observations by independent journalists, so they often lack credibility and do not inform the public in an objective manner.

Incidents of threats, attacks and killings of journalists are also clear evidence of the entrenched culture of impunity enjoyed by those who attack and murder journalists, which seriously undermines freedom of expression in the country. And it’s not just journalists, there’s been a worrying rise in attacks against bloggers too; since the start of the year, four bloggers have been hacked to death.

Pakistan ranks in the top 10 on the Impunity Index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Other global media freedom watchdogs such as Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders share similar concerns on the deteriorating safety situation for the media in Pakistan.

But there have been some positive developments.

In 2014, we saw a Pakistani court convict six defendants for their role in the murder of a Geo TV journalist who was shot dead in Karachi in 2011. This was only the second time that court convicted murderers of journalists, the other being the killers of Daniel Pearl, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.

The creation of the Pakistan Coalition of Media Safety (PCOMS) has been another bright spot. PCOMS has been working to implement the UN Action Plan Against Impunity in Pakistan and has played an important role in bringing together multiple national and international organisations.

The Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Pervez Rasheed, is a member of PCOMS’ steering committee and has endorsed the UN Action Plan Against Impunity. But so far I’ve seen very few concrete efforts made by the government to promote the safety of media professionals.

The safety of media cannot improve substantially if it remains predominantly an initiative of civil society organisations.

International News Safety Institute

Hakim Abro, a journalist from Ghotki was abducted on April 22nd, incidentally while he was travelling with a police constable. Despite the passage of over 3 months since his abduction, there has been no reported progress in his case. Hakim was associated with Dharti TV. Another journalist, Shahid Ali, went missing from Sukkur on June 2nd. Ali was working with Bol News and has previously been associated with Geo News. Despite continued protests from journalist bodies, there has been no known development to recover these journalists from their abductors.

PCOMS members condemned this callous attitude of the authorities in these cases and called the lack of action deplorable. PCOMS members also condemned the killing of Baloch journalist Zafarullah Jattak, and once again stressed the need to end impunity in journalist killings. Jattak was killed on June 28th at his home in Quetta.

The meeting expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the investigations of journalists’ killings. The committee urged the government to make public the report of judicial commission investigating the attack on senior journalist Hamid Mir.

The meeting also endorsed and welcomed UN Resolution 22/22 passed in May 2015, focusing on journalist safety. Members talked about the need to share the resolution further and capitalise upon its potential. Members requested UNESCO, the UN Agency with the mandate of journalist safety to facilitate a national consultation on the resolution.

The steering committee members welcomed the progress made by PCOMS and called for proactive action by PCOMS in developing a consolidated and comprehensive action plan and mechanisms for safety of journalists.

Mir was on the way from airport to his office when an armed man standing at the corner of a turning road, opened fire on him, latter four unidentified armed men on two motorcycles followed his car and continued to fire from at him.

He received six bullets in the lower part of his body, one bullet in his large intestine two in his left thigh bone, one in hip bone, one bullet crossed from his hand while one crossed after touching his ribs. He is being treated in a private hospital where his condition is stated as stable after surgery.

Amir Mir, brother of Hamid Mir the Popular television anchor stated that Hamid Mir had told his family, employers, government officials and army officials that some officials of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), including ISI’s Director General Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam had prepared a plan to eliminate him.

Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) strongly condemned the attack on Mir and demanded that the attackers be arrested immediately. PBA said repeated attacks and threats to media and journalists are aimed at restricting them from performing their constitutional responsibilities.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ), Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), National press club (NPC), Karachi Press Club (KPC) strongly condemned the attack.

All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) condemned the attack on journalists by “state and non-state actors” and termed it as assault on freedom of press. APNS demanded the government to immediately arrest the perpetrators involved in the attack.

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) President Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami and General Secretary Dr Jabbar Khattak on April 19 strongly condemned the attack and called it a cowardly act. In a statement they said that it seemed that forces against freedom of media were busy in their wicked designs to crush free media as they were not ready to tolerate dissent. They demanded immediate arrest of the accused and impartial inquiry of the incident.

Condemning the attack, Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety (PCOMS) said it was very troubling that the assailants knowledge of the travel plans of Mir and were able to shot him in broad daylight and make good their escape without being challenged by police or security agencies of federal and provincial governments. PCOMS said the attack on Hamid Mir demonstrated once again government’s callous disregard for the safety of journalists. PCOMS asked the government to inform the people of Pakistan of the steps that had been taken to ensure the safety of a senior journalist who had informed those in authority of the nature of imminent threats that he faced.

In November 2012, explosives were found under the vehicle of Mir in Islamabad when he had gone for some work with his driver and parked his car for a little. The bomb disposal squad was called in to remove the bag after which it was revealed that the bag contained material that was diffused by the squad.

Pakistan Press Foundation

Hamid Mir had arrived in Karachi from his home in Islamabad and was on way to Geo office when he was fired at near the airport and sustained three bullet injuries, including in his stomach and leg. This is the second attack on Mir, who has been receiving threats by different groups of Taliban as well as intelligence agencies.

The statement by PCOMS said it is very troubling that the assailants knowledge of the travel plans of Mir and were able to shot him in broad daylight and make good their escape without being challenged by police or security agencies of federal and provincial governments.

Even more serious are statements on Geo Television that Hamid Mir had told his family, employers, government officials and army officials that some officials of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), including ISI’s chief Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam had prepared a plan to eliminate him.

A statement issued by PCOMS said the attack on Hamid Mir demonstrated once again government’s callous disregard for the safety of journalists.

PCOMS asked the government to inform the people of Pakistan of the steps that had been taken to ensure the safety of a senior journalist who had informed those in authority of the nature of imminent threats that he faced.

PCOMS, which is an initiave of stakeholders in Pakistan under the umbrella of UN action plan on safety of journalists and impunity issues, called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure a credible and independent inquiry into this yet another brazen attack on senior and respected journalist, so that those responsible are held to account.