On March 28, prominent columnist and television host Raza Rumi narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Lahore after he left the office of Pakistan’s Express Media Group. His driver, Mohammad Mustafa, was killed and a guard was injured in the attack. Rumi hosts a show on Express’s Urdu-language channel and is a vocal critic of discrimination against religious minorities and Pakistan’s militant groups generally.

The attack on Rumi is the fifth such incident targeting employees or offices of the Express Media Group since August 2013. There have been a range of attacks — from three staffers being killed while sitting in a parked news van to the group’s bureau chief in Peshawar finding a bomb outside his house. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the former, stating that: “This is a war of ideologies and whosoever will oppose us in this war of ideologies, will play the role of enemy and we will also attack them.”

In a disconcerting development that has created a palatable sense of fear, a number of Pakistani journalists and editors are believed to be on a hit list of militants. Few know why they are being targeted, but the future looks bleak for the viability of an independent Pakistani press and the safety of journalists in the country.

In a column published after he survived the assassination attempt, Rumi wrote: “Pakistan’s journalists face the oddest of challenges. They are being coerced into silence or singing praises of extremists and advocating legitimacy for their operations. Pakistan’s politicians have almost given up, as their private and public statements are at variance and they have accepted that this ‘new Pakistan’ of fear, threats and unpunished violence is what they have to deal with.”

The threats to Pakistani journalists have increased over the years, and the offices of newspapers and television stations have been fortified with barbed wire, high walls, and security guards. But as the Taliban’s former spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan has said forebodingly: “If we can get inside military installations, media offices should not be too much of a challenge.”

The threat of physical harm is one that many journalists now live with in Pakistan, a country where reporting is already an incredibly difficult task. Censorship has long plagued the Pakistani press, and journalists have suffered for attempting to report the truth under military regimes and democratic governments. Ask any reporter in Pakistan if they have ever been threatened, and they’ll name everyone from politicians to Mafioso, who court and censure journalists in often equal measure.

Despite the oft-used cliché that a ‘vibrant press’ exists in Pakistan, journalists are routinely threatened and cautioned against reporting on ‘controversial’ issues. The list of journalists targeted for their work — from freelance journalist Hayatullah Khan, who was found dead after reporting on the CIA-run drone program, to Asia Times correspondent Saleem Shahzad, whose body was found in a canal after he privately expressed fears about the military establishment — grows longer every year. Self-censorship is now ingrained in many newsrooms, where taboo subjects range from political scandals and major business groups to the intelligence services.

But there is little outrage at threats to journalists and the press in Pakistan. In fact, raging against the press is almost a national pastime, with politicians and conspiracy theorists routinely making lurid allegations. This has fostered an environment where violence is seen as an almost legitimate course of action. Social media websites and popular discussion forums are flooded with allegations against journalists, from accusations that they are on the payroll of foreign spy agencies to calling them biased and unprofessional. In a leaked judicial commission report investigating the May 2, 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Ahmad Shuja Pasha claimed that Pakistani journalists were involved in a campaign against the agency, accusing them of being “heavily bribed with money, women and alcohol.”

There is no clear solution to protecting journalists in Pakistan. Recommendations for media safety guidelines have been drawn up several times but rarely acted on. There is little scope for media groups to work together — many refuse to name each other in print or in broadcast, even when attacks take place. But most importantly, the current sense of confusion in Pakistan — on what the government is negotiating with militant groups and what it is preparing to accede — has led to a state where journalists appear to be fair game in the war against militancy. The most one can hope for is that law enforcement agencies and the judiciary can act swiftly to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the attacks, and that media organizations can bolster security outside their offices. These steps, however, can only go so far if the enemy is just at the doorstep.

Despite this, Pakistan’s journalists have continued to work. A largely unacknowledged network of stringers, fixers, and freelancers has helped foreign news organizations and wire services cover the region. But the attack on Rumi is a reminder of the long-standing piece of advice routinely exchanged by Pakistani journalists — ‘cover the story, don’t become the story.’ That no longer appears to be an option.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently made a set of commitments to the Committee to Protect Journalists, including that the protection of journalists would be a negotiating point in peace talks with the Taliban. But like its predecessors, the Sharif administration has abandoned the idea of protecting Pakistani citizens, let alone journalists, in its quest to appease militant groups. It would be foolishly optimistic to expect that the prime minister — or any other official — will be moved by the death of yet another innocent citizen.

Saba Imtiaz is a freelance journalist based in Karachi and a Carnegie Fellow at the New America Foundation. She is the author of Karachi, You’re Killing Me! (Random House India, 2014) and No Team of Angels (First Draft Publishing, forthcoming.) She tweets at @Saba_Imtiaz and can be contacted at saba.imtiaz@gmail.com

Daily Times

While noting that the committee had directed in its meeting on February 14 that a hotline be established for the journalists to contact for quick response when they are in danger, Committee Chairperson Marvi Memon expressed displeasure over the fact that the committee’s directives were not taken seriously. She also lamented the absence of the Punjab Police IG, who was to submit a detailed report over a gun attack on a journalist, Raza Rumi, in Lahore.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Pervaiz Rashid and the committee suggested strong action against the Punjab IG for not attending the meeting of the committee. Ihsan Ghani from the National Police Bureau informed the committee that despite several contacts with the Punjab Police, it had not corresponded regarding the IG’s attendance of the committee meeting. However, the committee directed the Punjab Police to submit a detailed report on the Rumi incident within 24 hours.

The legislators noted that along with polio workers, journalists are also being attacked continuously. Meanwhile, police officials told the committee that emergency response service Rescue 1122 and police helpline 15 are working actively in all the provinces, and everyone, including journalists, can access them in times of emergency. But the committee and the information minister stressed creation of a hotline specifically for the journalists.

Information and broadcasting secretary informed the committee that his ministry is going to establish a hotline by April 8 in consultation with the provinces. While noting that journalists face threats from a plethora of terrorist organisations, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid stated that the government wants to take action against them, but he asked the media houses to also condemn the terrorists who target journalists, and avoid giving them coverage.

“Do not put all the responsibility on the government,” he said while suggesting that there is a need for change in attitude. “Pakistan is confronting a war-type situation and we all have to fight for it,” Rashid said. Meanwhile, Marvi Memon said the journalists and the committee have 21 demands that they want the government to fulfil. She said these unanimous recommendations will be submitted to the National Assembly speaker.

The committee took strict notice of the Punjab IG’s absence and said a notice will be sent to him. It observed that the security of the media in Pakistan is the responsibility of the state, the executive branch and parliament. The committee proclaimed that its intends to ensure that any issues related to the security of media are given top priority so that it could function without fear.

Daily Times

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) organised a protest at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Saturday against the attack on Express News anchor Raza Rumi a day earlier.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the car of Rumi in Lahore, injuring him and killing his driver. The attack took place just a few hundred yards away from the Express News office in Raja Market, which Rumi had just left after hosting his programme ‘Khabar Se Agay’.

Condemning the incident, PFUJ General Secretary Amin Yousuf demanded the government arrest the culprits immediately.

“The voice of journalists cannot be suppressed with such violence. We will continue our protest until the suspects behind the attack on Raza Rumi are behind bars.”

KUJ President GM Jamali said, “Our helpless rulers should know that we can’t abandon our profession and we will continue to play our role in strengthening democracy.”

Addressing the protesters, KUJ General Secretary Hassan Abbas said the Express Media Group had been attacked by four times, but the government did not take any precautionary steps to curb the violence against the group.

On the call of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and the National Press Club (NPC), hundreds of journalists assembled in front of NPC to show solidarity with Raza Rumi and the Express Media Group. They demanded formation of a special investigation committee to probe the attack.

In Lahore, journalists, lawyers and members also condemned the attack on Express Media Group and Raza Rumi. “He is one of the finest journalists in Pakistan and is a voice of reason,” said lawyer, columnist and author Yasser Latif Hamdani. Talking to The Express Tribune, he said the failure of the Punjab government to take these groups to task is the primary reason such lawlessness prevails.

Separately, news anchor Ajmal Jami said, “I wonder how anyone could attack a man who follows Data Ali Hajveri, who reads Khawaja Ghulam Fareed, and who is a follower of all the Sufi saints.”

In a strong statement, South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) termed the incident an outrageous attack. “We note with indignation that this is the fifth attack on the Express Media Group,” said SAFMA secretary general Imtiaz Alam, SAFMA Pakistan president Nusrat Javeed, SAMC Chairman Kumar Ketkar, SAMC Secretary General M Ziauddin and Media Commission-Pakistan General Secretary Babar Ayaz in a statement.

The incident is a sad reminder of the threats faced by journalists like him who are promoting human rights, tolerance and understanding in Pakistan, they underlined. We extend our condolences to the family of Mustafa, the driver, and seek compensation for his family, they added.

In Quetta, journalists walked out from the coverage of Balochistan Assembly’s proceedings on Saturday to protest against the attack on Express Media Group. Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) staged a loud demonstration outside the assembly building.

PFUJ provincial president Afzal Butt and National Press Club General Secretary Tariq Chaudhry along with BUJ President Irfan Saeed condemned the attack and demanded an investigation. This was the fifth attack on the media group but there has been no progress in the investigation, they complained.

In Sukkur, scores of journalists staged a protest sit-in at the clock tower roundabout. Responding to the call of PFUJ, Sukkur Union of Journalists representatives carried banners and placards condemning the attack. Journalists are being attacked and killed for telling the truth, which proves that our society is now ethically bankrupted, they claimed.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Union of Journalists (KHUJ), together with members of the Peshawar Press Club, joined in the nationwide protests. “This is not the first time that the same media organisation has been targeted, yet authorities have still not taken any action to protect journalists,” said Nisar Mehmood, the president of KHUJ.

IGP presents investigation report

Punjab Inspector-General of Police Khan Baig presented the initial inquiry report of the attack, according to which six assailants on three motorcycles attacked Raza Rumi.

As soon as the car reached a turn near Raja Market on main Ferozepur Road, two of the attackers opened fire from the rear, while four others – who were waiting in an empty plot to ambush the car – fired from the left.

The police collected 11 empty shells from the crime scene while 35 bullets pierced through Rumi’s car. DIG Investigation Lahore Zulfiqar Hameed said, according to witnesses, the suspects had covered their faces using handkerchiefs and so the police will not be able to draw their sketches. “It is too early to say but we suspect the involvement of two to three groups,” he said. On the motivation of these groups, he said, “Apparently, political and religious.”

Express Tribune