PAKISTAN: REPORTER SHOT DEAD IN CONFLICT ZONE
Security forces shot dead a journalist in Swat Valley, northeast Pakistan,
last week, making him the third journalist to be killed in Swat this year,
report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other IFEX
members.
Qari Mohammad Shoaib, a reporter for daily newspapers "Azadi" and "Khabar
Kar", was shot in Mingora near his home on 8 November, reportedly because
he did not stop his vehicle at a checkpoint.
Security forces admitted that Shoaib was killed "by mistake," according to
IFJ affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). His vehicle
displayed a press sticker and he was carrying a press card.
IFJ joined PFUJ and local unions in protests demanding that provincial and
federal authorities conduct an immediate independent inquiry into the
killing of Shoaib and arrest those responsible. They also urged media
owners to ensure all their personnel working in conflict zones receive
adequate safety training and equipment.
"There is a full scale army operation and insurgency in Swat Valley, Bajaur
Agency and many parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Scores of
people are being killed every day and the situation for everyone,
particularly journalists, is intolerable and unbearable," said the Pakistan
Press Foundation (PPF).
Swat Valley, about 150 kilometres northeast of Peshawar, has been the focus
of a Pakistan army offensive against insurgents since August. IFJ and PFUJ
recently completed a series of safety training workshops for journalists
and camera operators working in Swat and Pakistan's other hot spots.
Visit these links:
- IFJ: http://tinyurl.com/5wcygh
- IFJ on protests: http://tinyurl.com/55tcxw
- PPF: http://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/
- Reporters Without Borders:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29250
- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://tinyurl.com/5dvka4
Security forces shot dead a journalist in Swat Valley, northeast Pakistan,
last week, making him the third journalist to be killed in Swat this year,
report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other IFEX
members.
Qari Mohammad Shoaib, a reporter for daily newspapers "Azadi" and "Khabar
Kar", was shot in Mingora near his home on 8 November, reportedly because
he did not stop his vehicle at a checkpoint.
Security forces admitted that Shoaib was killed "by mistake," according to
IFJ affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). His vehicle
displayed a press sticker and he was carrying a press card.
IFJ joined PFUJ and local unions in protests demanding that provincial and
federal authorities conduct an immediate independent inquiry into the
killing of Shoaib and arrest those responsible. They also urged media
owners to ensure all their personnel working in conflict zones receive
adequate safety training and equipment.
"There is a full scale army operation and insurgency in Swat Valley, Bajaur
Agency and many parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Scores of
people are being killed every day and the situation for everyone,
particularly journalists, is intolerable and unbearable," said the Pakistan
Press Foundation (PPF).
Swat Valley, about 150 kilometres northeast of Peshawar, has been the focus
of a Pakistan army offensive against insurgents since August. IFJ and PFUJ
recently completed a series of safety training workshops for journalists
and camera operators working in Swat and Pakistan's other hot spots.
Visit these links:
- IFJ: http://tinyurl.com/5wcygh
- IFJ on protests: http://tinyurl.com/55tcxw
- PPF: http://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/
- Reporters Without Borders:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29250
- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://tinyurl.com/5dvka4
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