Till a few years ago, no one in the Pakistani media could believe that a journalist’s handcuffed and tortured body would be found one day. But Fata journalist Hayatullah Khan’s body was found in just that condition in 2005, almost five months after his disappearance.

The families of journalists have also come under attack. Hayatullah’s wife was not only attacked – after she identified the alleged kidnappers of her husband in her testimony before a judicial commission – but killed. What followed was a string of killings of journalists in Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Once it would have been hard to believe that a journalist would be picked up from Islamabad, our most protected city, and his body would be found in a Punjab town. But that happened to Saleem Shahzad, who was under threat for his bold writing and sensitive disclosures.

Once it was impossible for anyone to believe that a journalist would be found dead just 30 minutes after giving a live beeper on TV.

But this too happened with Musa Khankhel, a correspondent for Geo News in Swat, who was killed soon after he reported on the procession of Sufi Mohammad, the head of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi.

Another journalist, Mohammad Ibrahim, was shot dead along with his camera man after interviewing the head of an outlawed group in Fata.

Once it would have been unthinkable that a columnist would be killed simply because of a misleading headline. But Dr Chishty Mujahid was. A group claimed responsibility, signalling the beginning of dangerous times ahead for journalists in Balochistan, once the safest province for journalists.

Dozens of journalists have been killed there since then. The latest case was of the kidnapping and murder of Abdul Razzaq Baloch. His family was not able to get justice despite a petition filed in March after his disappearance.

In Karachi, journalists are threatened and killed by ethnic and political groups. Wali Khan Babar’s case still haunts journalists in Karachi. In that case, all the witnesses – including investigating officers – were killed.

What is common in all these cases is the state’s failure to protect journalists. Many journalists have migrated from Fata and Balochistan to safe houses in other cities.

Journalists in Fata find it most difficult to report on the ongoing conflict and anything relating to the Taliban or army operations.

With the massive rise in the number of militant groups – whether ethnic, sectarian, jihadi, political or with underworld connections, as well as state intelligence agencies – a journalist’s work has become more and more hazardous in Pakistan.

The failure of the state to provide safety and the failure of media houses to provide training have led to huge risks and Pakistan has come to be ranked among the three most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

Pakistani journalists and the media must keep in mind that more difficult days may lie ahead.

No training or protection can give you 100 percent guarantee of safety, but proper training can certainly give reporters the strength to cover a story with courage if they get insurance cover and appropriate equipment to protect themselves.

The writer is a senior journalist. Email: abbas.mazhar@gmail.com

The News

Israr Ahmed, crime reporter of an English national daily, has been given life threats by some unknown persons on his cell number for many days. He has lodged a complaint with Saddar Bairooni police, but they have not registered an FIR so far. It is pertinent to mention that Israr Ahmed narrowly escaped a life attempt in April 2012 in Dhamial.

The office bearers of National Press Club (NPC), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Crime and Court Reporters Association Rawalpindi (CCRAR) condemned the threats being given to the reporter and appealed to the federal government to take steps for protection of journalists. Talking to media, NPC Secretary General Shehryar Khan said that such threats could not stop journalists from discharging their duties. “Hundreds of journalists have so far been killed, but neither any challan has been completed nor has any culprit been arrested,” he said. He termed the situation alarming and urged the government to take steps for journalists’ protection.

CCRAR Secretary General Iqbal Malik said he had discussed the issue with the district government and filed an application for registration of an FIR at Saddar Bairooni police station. He said the association would pursue the case and ask Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to take notice of the threats being given to the reporter.

He said Israr Ahmad, a reporter of The Nation, was being given threats by unidentified people for many days. “On Thursday night, a person phoned Israr and, using offensive language, said: “Come out of your house as we are waiting for you outside. We will burn you along with your family.” Iqbal said the journalist had no enmity with anyone and asked the district government to provide protection to him.

The Nation