PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 13 years ago | Jonaid Iqbal
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ISLAMABAD: Veteran journalist D. Shah Khan’s death is sad news to everyone who knew this kindest gentleman and I grieve at this passing away.
I knew him since 1965 when I went to work at a government office in Chittagong. He was working for the daily newspaper Eastern Examiner. It was a very well-edited newspaper, owned by a kind lady who was its editor.
Eastern Examiner had few reporters and subs. Shah Jee would write most of the stuff in the newspaper, including reports and editorials.
The newspaper’s office was located atop a hill and it was quite difficult to get there. But Shah Jee would be there and so would many of his fans who loved talking to him. Later, he became the editor of this paper.
The newspaper was sprightly, and had a twang and quality about it, which many readers would admire. Its masthead was red, an innovation at that time, since all other newspapers had black mastheads.
I was transferred in 1957, and I lost track of this great newspaper man until I reappeared in Islamabad and found him working for the old well-loved newspaper The Muslim and later The News. He would always offer tea whenever we went to meet him, a tradition he had kept up since his days at the Eastern Examiner.
Always a gentleman, he would make enquiries from contributors whenever he
looked at some manuscripts, because he always wanted to be certain about facts, and was meticulous in editing a piece.
Although he was a popular personality in Chittagong, he had turned quite recluse after arriving in Islamabad. I invited him home a number of times, but he would decline, except once when he suddenly arrived one evening unannounced. That was perhaps to keep up old acquaintances but he never came again, notwithstanding my protestation.
This was a gentleman editor without fault, always polite and extremely helpful. Maybe his qualities would serve as inspiration for journalists, copywriters and editorial writers.
His memory would be etched in the minds of all those who aspire to do neat newspaper work.
(Jonaid Iqbal is a senior journalist who has worked for several newspapers)
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.
November 01, 2025 Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran was found murdered in Durango. CPJ urges authorities to ensure justice amid rising violence against journalists in Mexico.
November 01, 2025 UNESCO survey finds one-third of media lawyers cannot effectively defend journalists due to threats, limited resources, and lack of specialization.
October 31, 2025 Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster covering tightly controlled Asian media environments, has suspended all news operations after federal funding dried up.