Baloch journalist Latif Sajidi killed in targeted attack in Awaran

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 5 months ago |  JP Staff Report

QUETTA, Balochistan – In yet another grim incident targeting media personnel, unidentified armed assailants stormed the home of journalist Abdul Latif Sajidi Baloch in the Mashkay area of Awaran district, Balochistan, late last night and shot him dead while he was asleep.

Sajidi, a correspondent for the daily Intikhab newspaper, was brutally murdered in what appears to be a targeted killing. This is not the first time Sajidi’s family has faced such brutality. Several members of his family, including his brother and son, have previously been killed in similar attacks.

Additionally, Sajidi himself had been a victim of enforced disappearance nearly a year ago. After his eventual release, he remained in poor health. Shockingly, neither his abduction nor his release was reported by the media or protested by journalist unions—raising serious concerns over the silencing of press freedom in the region.

Despite working for Intikhab, his disappearance and subsequent return were never covered by the newspaper he represented—possibly to avoid further retaliation. The lack of media attention on his abduction and the silence of journalistic organizations highlight the dangerous environment for journalists in Balochistan.

Now, following his killing, questions arise: Why was his case ignored earlier? Who is behind these systematic attacks on journalists and their families?

The continued targeting of journalists in Balochistan underscores the urgent need for stronger protections for media workers in conflict zones.

بلوچ صحافی لطیف ساجدی کو آواران میں قتل کر دیا گیا

کوئٹہ، بلوچستان – میڈیا کارکنان کو نشانہ بنانے والے ایک اور دہشت ناک واقعے میں نامعلوم مسلح حملہ آوروں نے گزشتہ رات بلوچستان کے ضلع آواران کے علاقہ مشکے میں صحافی عبداللطیف ساجدی بلوچ کے گھر میں دھاوا بول کر اُنہیں سوتے میں گولی مار کر ہلاک کر دیا۔

ساجدی روزنامہ "انتخاب" کے نامہ نگار تھے، اور یہ قتل ایک ٹارگٹ کلنگ کی صورت میں ہوا ہے۔ اس واقعے نے شدید غم و غصہ پیدا کیا ہے۔

یہ پہلا موقع نہیں ہے جب ساجدی کے خاندان کو ایسی سفاکی کا سامنا کرنا پڑا ہے۔ اُن کے بھائی اور بیٹے سمیت خاندان کے متعدد افراد اسی طرح کے حملوں میں جان سے ہاتھ دھو چکے ہیں۔

اس کے علاوہ، ساجدی خود بھی تقریباً ایک سال قبل جبری گمشدگی کا شکار ہوئے تھے۔ رہائی کے بعد وہ مسلسل خراب صحت کا شکار رہے۔ حیرت انگیز طور پر، نہ تو اُن کے اغوا اور نہ ہی رہائی کی خبروں کو میڈیا نے کوریج دی، اور نہ ہی صحافی تنظیموں نے اس پر احتجاج کیا—جس سے خطے میں صحافتی آزادی کو دبانے کے سنگین خدشات پیدا ہوتے ہیں۔

اگرچہ ساجدی "انتخاب" کے لیے کام کرتے تھے، لیکن اُن کی گمشدگی اور رہائی کی خبر کو اُن کے اپنے اخبار نے بھی نظرانداز کر دیا—شاید مزید جانی نقصان سے بچنے کے لیے۔ اُن کے اغوا پر میڈیا کی خاموشی اور صحافتی تنظیموں کی بے حسی نے بلوچستان میں صحافیوں کے لیے خطرناک ماحول کو واضح کر دیا ہے۔

اب جب کہ اُن کے قتل کی خبریں منظر عام پر آئی ہیں، کئی سوالات جنم لے رہے ہیں: اُن کیس کو پہلے کیوں نظرانداز کیا گیا؟ صحافیوں اور اُن کے خاندانوں کو نشانہ بنانے والے نظامی حملوں کے پیچھے کون ہے؟

بلوچستان میں صحافیوں کو مسلسل نشانہ بنائے جانے سے تنازعات کے علاقوں میں میڈیا ورکرز کے تحفظ کی فوری ضرورت عیاں ہوتی ہے۔

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