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 6 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK — Pakistani authorities should swiftly investigate the killing of journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan in Islamabad to determine the motive and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
On June 16, unknown individuals attacked Khan, an independent journalist who ran a YouTube channel where he interviewed political figures and talked about religion and politics, and stabbed him to death, according to news reports.
The government has vowed to investigate the killing, according to Dawn.
"Authorities must quickly launch a credible investigation into the killing of Muhammad Bilal Khan, including whether his journalism was a motive," said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ's program director. "This brutal crime is not only a tragedy for Khan's family but it is bound to instill fear in the journalistic community until the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice."
In the evening of June 16, Khan received a phone call from an unidentified man asking him to come to Islamabad's G-9 sector. When Khan and his relative Ehtasham ul Haq arrived to meet the man, unknown individuals hit Ehtasham from behind and stabbed him multiple times, and brought Khan to a nearby wooded area and stabbed him at least 17 times, according to The News.
Khan and Ehtasham were transported to a local hospital following the attack but Khan died enroute, according to The News. Ehtasham survived the attack with severe injuries, Dawn reported.
Police said the suspects used a dagger to kill Khan, according to Dawn.
Khan's father filed a first information report, the first legal step towards a police investigation, with the police the day of the attack, according to Dawn. CPJ emailed the Islamabad police for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Khan had more than 19 thousand followers on Twitter and more than 54 thousand subscribers on YouTube. One of his last tweets prior to his death was critical of the Inter-Services Intelligence, the country's intelligence agency. In his recent videos he gave political commentary on a recent speech by the prime minister and on a bill that would eliminate sectarianism in the country.
Although killings of journalists have declined in Pakistan in recent years, CPJ has documented a rising trend of censorship under pressure from the military. In 2018, journalist Sohail Khan was murdered in relation to his work and Zeeshan Butt was killed, though CPJ had not determined the motive behind the latter's killing. — A CPJ news alert
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.