Targeted killing: Express News reporter Abdul Razaq Gul murdered

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 19 May 2012 |  Khudai Noor Nasar

Express News reporter Abdul Razaq Gul was found shot dead in Quetta on May 19, police said. Colleagues said he was abducted by motorbike-riding gunmen while returning home. The BUJ condemned the killing and urged a prompt investigation.

Summary

QUETTA: Abdul Razaq Gul, a journalist working for Express News television channel has been shot dead, police said Saturday. Gul's body was found in the early hours of Saturday morning (May 19). According to police, he was shot in the head. The 35-year-old Gul was heading home from work Friday night when gunmen on motorbikes intercepted him and took him away, Razaur Rahman the Express News Bureau Chief said. He said Gul was a hard-working journalist and had been targeted because of his work. Sixteen journalists have been killed in Balochistan since 2001 that remains one of the most dangerous areas for journalists. Only this year, five journalists have been gunned down in Pakistan, three of them this month. Essa Tareen, President of the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) has condemned Gul’s murder and has called upon the federal and provincial governments to promptly investigate this latest killing of their colleague as well as that of others.

KEY POINTS:

• Police said Abdul Razaq Gul was shot in the head and found dead early Saturday morning.
• The 35-year-old journalist was intercepted and taken away while heading home from work on Friday night.
• Express News bureau chief said Gul was targeted because of his reporting.
• BUJ president Essa Tareen called on federal and provincial governments to investigate the murder.
• Balochistan has seen 16 journalists killed since 2001, according to the report.