Violence against journalists Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Pakistan Freedom of Expression Monitor

Commission didn’t exonerate ISI of murder allegations

April 24, 2014

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission on Saleem Shahzad case had recommended the accountability of intelligence agencies through legislation noting that currently the ‘legal and organisational foundations of the two major agencies (ISI and IB) rest on mere executive orders.’ The commission stressed on ‘an urgent need for laying down a comprehensive statutory framework’ for them. Terming it ‘high time’ to bring

Deadlines, headlines & red lines

April 22, 2014

ABRAR Tanoli. Ayub Khattak. Shan Dahar. Bakhtaj Ali. Razik Baloch. Almost no-one knows who these persons are, not even a very big chunk of Pakistan’s 18,000-strong community of working journalists. They were all working journalists who were killed in targeted attacks in the last 12 months. Three other media workers — Waqas Aziz, Khalid Khan and Ashraf Arain, non-journalists but

Grief overkill….and hitting out at the ISI

April 22, 2014

A gun attack on a prominent journalist in the country’s largest city, on the road from the airport, would be enough bad news and to spare anywhere else. And everyone would be examining the cult of violence, and the stealth accompanying it, which has this nation in its grip. But such is the excitability, the nervous state of Pakistani democracy,

Jio Hamid Mir

April 22, 2014

After the shameless attack on our senior colleague Hamid Mir last Sunday, the entire narrative on the media is now about Mir’s employer versus the ISI, the spy agency that Mir had suspected would attack him long before the attack happened. The usual suspects that are normally made to come forward whenever spy agencies or its parent institution is in

Senate wants halt to criticism against ISI over journalist attack

April 22, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Legislators in Upper House of parliament on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution to condemn the armed attack on journalist Hamid Mir. In the same breath, the senators urged all to stop bashing the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and other intelligence agencies until the completion of the investigation by the judicial commission. A majority of the legislators were of the view

Protecting Pakistan journalists: Trials, not tribunals, needed in Pakistan

April 22, 2014

Protecting Pakistan journalists Raza Rumi is alive. It appears Hamid Mir will survive. Shan Dahar is dead. For CPJ, most of this weekend was taken up learning about and responding to the assassination attempt on Geo TV’s most prominent anchor and commentator, Hamid Mir. CPJ quickly released a statement after the attack and fielded questions from international and Pakistani media

Working group on media safety constituted

April 21, 2014

PESHAWAR: Senior journalists, civil society members and lawyers have formed a provincial working group on media safety and security with the aim to make collective efforts to combat the impunity of crimes against journalists. The working group will include representatives of Khyber Union of Journalists (KHUJ), Peshawar Press Club, Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ), lawyers, civil society and Human Rights

Protect journalists to secure democracy: US

April 21, 2014

WASHINGTON: A democracy cannot function if it fails to protect journalists, said the US State Department while condemning the attack on a Pakistani television anchor, Hamid Mir. In a separate statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists said that it’s alarmed by the continuing violence directed at journalists in Pakistan. Also, in a joint resolution, Washington-based Pakistani journalists demanded protection for

Pakistan not safe but is producing brave journalists

April 20, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may not be the safest place for journalism, but it does breed brave, undeterred, upright and honest journalists like Hamid Mir, who could not be silenced through violence. During the past few weeks, a sustained campaign has started where journalists are being threatened, harassed and attacked. However, Pakistani journalists are not alien to attacks as since 2000, according