CPJ decries journalist murders in Pakistan, demands swift justice

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year

NEW YORK—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is deeply disturbed by the ongoing killings of journalists in Pakistan, with six fatalities reported in 2024 so far. CPJ calls on Pakistani authorities to swiftly investigate the recent fatal attack on veteran journalist Khalil Jibran and hold those responsible accountable.

On the evening of June 18, unidentified assailants fatally shot Jibran, a reporter for the privately owned Pashto-language broadcaster Khyber News, in the Landi Kotal area of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to news reports and the local press freedom group Pakistan Press Foundation, two armed men dragged Jibran, the former president of the Landi Kotal Press Club, out of his vehicle. The assailants ordered three other individuals traveling with Jibran to exit the vehicle, stating they were not targets. The gunmen then opened fire on Jibran, killing him instantly.

"Pakistan authorities must urgently bring those responsible for the killing of journalist Khalil Jibran to justice and take immediate steps to end the wave of violence against reporters in the country," said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. "The only way to reassure Pakistani journalists of their safety is for authorities to stop the cycle of impunity that allows these attacks to continue unabated."

Police arrived at the scene nearly an hour after the attack, reported Pakistani newspaper Dawn, citing local residents. Jibran sustained 19 bullet wounds and an arm fracture, suggesting a physical struggle between him and the attackers, according to doctors at a local hospital. He is survived by his wife and six children.

As of June 20, no suspects had been apprehended, stated Qazi Fazlullah, president of the Tribal Union of Journalists and a reporter for Geo News. Fazlullah informed CPJ that local journalists are advocating for a judicial commission to investigate the murders of journalists amid a severe pattern of impunity.

Jibran had received threats from militants over the past decade in relation to his journalism. He survived a hand grenade attack in 2014 and an explosive device planted under his car in 2017, which did not detonate. In the past two years, he faced a resurgence of threats related to his reporting for Khyber News, where he documented militancy with the help of government and army sources, Fazlullah added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a dramatic surge in militant attacks since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, exited a ceasefire with the Pakistan government in 2022.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar did not respond to CPJ's request for comment. CPJ also contacted Saleem Abbas Kulachi, district police officer of Khyber district, which encompasses Landi Kotal, but received no reply.

At least five other journalists have been killed in Pakistan this year, including Kamran Dawar, based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district. CPJ is investigating the motives behind these attacks.—A CPJ News Alert