11th journalist killed in Pakistan this year, PEC expresses concern
Geneva based the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global organization advocating for media safety and rights, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence against journalists in Pakistan. The latest victim, Janan Hussain (40), was killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border on November 20, during an ambush in the Kurram area that claimed the lives of 42 Shiite Muslims. Hussain, a journalist with Channel 365 and a member of the Parachinar Press Club, is the 11th media worker killed in Pakistan this year.
"Janan Hussain's murder marks the 129th journalist killed globally since January 1, highlighting the grim reality of impunity in such cases," said Blaise Lempen, President of PEC. Lempen urged Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate Hussain’s death, bring the perpetrators to justice, and address the systemic safety concerns for journalists. "It is alarming to see such a high toll on media workers in a country not officially at war," he added.
PEC Highlights Previous Journalist Killings in Pakistan
PEC’s South Asia representative, Nava Thakuria, detailed a harrowing list of journalists killed in Pakistan this year before Hussain:
- Jam Saghir Ahmed Lar (Daily Khabrain, Punjab, March 14)
- Tahira Nosheen Rana (local Urdu newspaper, Punjab, April 22)
- Muhammad Siddiq Mengel (Khuzdar Press Club, Balochistan, May 3)
- Mehar Ashfaq Siyal (Daily Khabrain, Punjab, May 15)
- Kamran Dawar (YouTube/Facebook, North Waziristan, May 21)
- Nasrullah Gadani (Awami Aghaz, Sindh, May 24)
- Khalil Jibran (Khyber News, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, June 19)
- Hasan Zaib (Aaj News, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, July 14)
- Muhammad Bachal Ghunio (Awaz TV, Sindh, August 26)
- Nisar Lehri (Masting Press Club, Balochistan, September 4)
The PEC continues to call for stronger protections for journalists in Pakistan, emphasizing the urgency of curbing violence and ensuring accountability for these targeted attacks.
Other Contents by Author
India as a largest democracy in the globe may be a prime source of inspiration for many other nations, but the country is itself facing crisis in many fronts. The deepen crisis of governance & administration, regional imbalance, strain in Centre-State relationship, unabated corruption, and Indian civil society with a blur vision only show the symptom of the calamity we are waiting for, said Dr BB Dutta, former Rajya Sabha Member, while addressing a distinguished gathering at Calcutta High Court auditorium today morning. He was delivering the welcome address in a seminar cum workshop on ‘Urgency of Reform in the Indian Political System: Revisiting the Constitution’ at Kolkata,...
Over 60% journalists and other media employees in the city are suffering from gastroenterological problems and nearly 10% are suffering from hypertension, this was revealed during a health check-up program conducted by down town hospitals at Guwahati Press Club. Organized on the Occasion of 23rd anniversary of down town hospitals in association with the press club on February 1, 2012, the health camp was attended by 175 media persons and their closed relatives.
The attending doctors feel that the stressful life style and irregular food habits have made the media persons vulnerable for gastroenterological and hypertension at younger ages.
Medicine consultant Dr Raj Kumar Dutta, Dr Nirag...
Down Town Hospitals have organized a health check-up camp for the scribes at Guwahati Press Club on February 1, 2012. The camp, organized to celebrate the anniversary of the DT hospitals, will start at 10 am. The camp will be accompanied by the practicing doctors namely Dr Raj Kr Dutta, Dr Ngangom Megharat Meitei, Dr Nirag A Tupkar with the dietician Ms Tinababy Baruah.
Assam State Aids Control Society in association with Guwahati Press Club has organized a media workshop on HIV/AIDS issue on Saturday (Jan 21) at press club premises. The workshop will start at 11 am.
Bonti Saikia, Joint Director-IEC (on Getting to Zero, Zero new infection and Zero Stigma and Discrimination), Dr. N.S.Tishya, Deputy Director-BS (on Blood Safety & Voluntary Blood Donation) and Rini Nath Borah, Consultant-CSM (on Basics of HIV/AIDS and Role of Media Persons in Awareness) will attend the workshop as resource persons. Member-journalists are requested to participate in the workshop.
The DoNER minister P. S. Ghatowar, while appreciating the role of media in India, criticized a section of newspaper and news channels for their exaggerated news with an imposed views and also unwanted role of journalists as ‘fortune-teller’ in the time of elections. The soft-spoken politician from eastern Assam also highlighted about the limitation of resources faced by the working journalists in the State.
“The journalists and other media employees deserve necessary support and care from the managements and the society in general. We should extend our supports to the media persons such that they can reciprocate it for the growth of our nation,” Ghatowar, also a...
Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses serious concern at the mysterious death of journalist turned advocate Deva Kumar Das following the simple injury by a stray leopard in Guwahati on January 7. Deva Das with two others were wounded by the leopard in broad day light, as it got panicked while trapped in a residential area adjacent to Navagraha hills at Silphukhuri locality on Saturday. All the injured were admitted to hospital, where Deva Das was given first-aid and released by the attending doctors.
But next morning Deva Das, 49, was found dead at his residence. A bachelor by choice Deva Das stayed alone with some renters in the building and the door of his room was not locked...
The Asia Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists (APFEJ) has expressed concern at the ongoing construction of a number of hydroelectric dams in Brahmaputra inside Tibetan region of China. The umbrella organization of environmental journalists based in Asia Pacific region argues that once the dams on the 2,900 km long trans-boundary river will be commissioned, there will be massive ecological affect in northeast India and also in Bangladesh. Moreover, if the government at Beijing diverts some volume of water from Brahmaputra, Bangladesh will be severely affected, as the saline water of Bay of Bengal will enter to south Bangladesh and destroy the aquatic life and agricultural field. The...
The GNRC Hospitals in association with Guwahati Press Club has announced the GNRC Media Fellowship, where the working journalists will be selected for financial support to study the healthcare situation in Assam and northeast India. Three fellows will be selected for the three month long fellowship program. Each fellow will get Rs. 10,000 per month, said Dr NC Borah, the CMD of GNRC Hospitals. Interested member-journalists are requested to send their applications with a passport size photograph, a brief profile and a note of 500 words narrating why (s)he is interested in the said fellowship program to the office of Guwahat Press Club, Ambari, Guwahati on or before January 25, 2012. The...
A press meet under the banner of Friends of Arunachal is organized at Guwahati Press Club tomorrow at 2 pm. The meeting will discuss various aspects relating to the ongoing protest against the big dams planned in Arunachal Pradesh. As the movement has gained momentum, there is increasing apprehensions that the common people of Arunachal might get confused it as an anti-Arunachali campaign. While condemning the attitude of NHPC, New Delhi, Dispur and Itanagar, the meeting will find space for maintaining cordial relationship between the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Nikhilesh Barua, a senior music composer, documentary producer and author of Assam, will attend the next ‘Guest of the Month’ program of Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on December 27. The program will start at 1 pm. Member-journalists are requested to participate in the program.
Add new comment