IFJ condemns killing of two media workers in one day

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 22 May 2017

The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the violent killings of Abdul Razzaque and Amir Shakeel in Pakistan. This highlights the serious threats faced by media professionals in the region.

Summary

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned the killing of two media workers in Pakistan just hours apart on May 17 and demanded immediate arrest and prosecution of the killers.

On Wednesday, armed robbers gunned down Abdul Razzaque, a Chunian correspondent for ARY News Television in an attempted robbery in Pattoki, Kasur.

Razzaque was killed when the assailants opened fire on him and Muqadar Hussain after stopping their car. Hussain was taken to hospital but Razzaque died at the scene.

ARY News condemned the brazen attack and expressed condolences to the bereaved family of Razzaque.

Just hours later in Lahore, Amir Shakeel, a 35-year old designer at Nawa-i-Waqt was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Two motorcyclists opened fire on him and fled. He died on the way to the hospital. Police said they suspected an old enmity or personal grudge as the motive behind the killing.

A few days earlier, on May 11, in Karachi, Amin Yousaf, the Resident Editor Nawa-i-Waqt was targeted in a day-light robbery. Yousaf, the former general secretary of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) was on way to his office with his daughter, when gunmen on a motorbike intercepted his car, stealing his mobile phone and cash at gunpoint. Neither Amin nor his daughter was injured in the attack.

The IFJ extended condolences to the families of Razzaque and Shakeel and said it stands in solidarity with colleagues in Pakistan.

The IFJ General-Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: “The IFJ strongly condemns the killing of media workers Abdul Razzaque and Amir Shakeel in Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan is a dangerous country for journalists, and the reigning impunity in the crimes against journalists is making the situation increasingly dangerous. The IFJ urges the Pakistan authorities to immediately arrest and punish the killers to ensure justice to slain media staffs.” – IFJ media release/Image: Amir Shakeel (Courtesy Rural Journalist Network Pakistan)

KEY POINTS:

• Two media workers killed in Pakistan on May 17.
• Abdul Razzaque was shot during a robbery in Kasur.
• Amir Shakeel was killed by unidentified gunmen in Lahore.
• IFJ demands immediate action against the perpetrators.
• Pakistan remains a dangerous environment for journalists.