Geneva: Pakistan, even though there is no war, continues to lose media persons to assailants. The South Asian nation witnessed the 12th journo-victim within the 12 months of 2024. Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expresses serious concern after receiving the news about the murder of another journalist named Malik Zafar Iqbal Naich in the morning hours on the 12th of December and demands adequate punishments for the perpetrators.
Malik Zafar (45) was shot dead by the miscreants at Chowk Chanigoth which is under the Rahimyarkhan district of Pakistan. Family sources claim that the local correspondent of the Khabrain newspaper had no enmity to anyone in the locality.
“He becomes the 162nd media person to be killed since January 1, 2024. We demand that the Pakistani authorities ensure justice to the bereaved family and hence, allowing no immunity to the killers,” said Blaise Lempen, PEC president (www.pressemblem.ch).
PEC’s South Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that with Malik Zafar Iqbal Naich, Pakistan has lost 12 media workers to assailants year to date, preceded by Janan Hussain, Jam Saghir Ahmed Lar, Tahira Nosheen Rana, Muhammad Siddiq Mengel, Mehar Ashfaq Siyal, Kamran Dawar, Nasrullah Gadani, Khalil Jibran, Hasan Zaib, Muhammad Bachal Ghunio, and Nisar Lehri. To date, Pakistan is followed by Bangladesh (7 journo-casualties) and India (4) in the South Asian region.