Slain Swat journalists named for award

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 19 October 2012 |  Haroon Siraj

Sirajuddin and three other slain journalists have been nominated for the President's Award for Pride of Performance 2012. This recognition honors their contributions and ultimate sacrifices in journalism.

Summary

MINGORA: Senior journalist Sirajuddin, killed in a suicide bomb blast in Swat more than four years ago, has been named for the President’s Award for Pride of Performance 2012.

Siraj, who worked for The Nation was attending the funeral prayers of Deputy Superintendent of Police Javaid Iqbal when a Taliban bomber blew himself up killing 70 people, five of them belonging to Siraj’s family.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik who visited the Swat Press Club this week also named Musa Khan Khel, Qari Muhammad Shoaib and Abdul Aziz Shaheen for the same award.

Musa of Geo TV was killed by gunmen in Swat hours after he covered a peace march led by a hard-line cleric in 2009 while Qari Shoaib, a reporter with a local newspaper was mistakenly gunned down in Mingora as he headed home from work.

On the other hand reporter Abdul Aziz, kidnapped by the Taliban, got killed when the security forces launched an attack on the militants in Matta.

The minister paid tributes to the slain journalists.

KEY POINTS:

• Sirajuddin was killed in a suicide bombing in 2012.
• Musa Khan Khel was murdered after covering a peace march.
• Qari Muhammad Shoaib was mistakenly gunned down in Mingora.
• Abdul Aziz Shaheen was killed during a security operation against the Taliban.
• Interior Minister Rehman Malik paid tribute to the journalists.