Police in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province are investigating the whereabouts of the mayor of Manshera after he shot and killed a journalist who accused him of running an illegal liquor business.

The murder drew outrage from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

On 29 January 2004 in broad daylight, Khalid Javed shot and killed Sajid Tanoli, a reporter with the regional Urdu-language daily newspaper “Shumal,” and fled the scene. Police have filed murder charges against Javed. They have also arrested his brother and son as suspected accomplices in the murder, CPJ says.

Tanoli, 35, had written an article on 26 January which alleged that Javed was running a liquor business – an illegal activity in Pakistan. The next day, Javed filed a libel suit against “Shumal,” demanding a written apology, RSF notes.

By: Pakistan Press Foundation