Musa Khan
Dera Ismail Khan: Gunmen shot dead a local journalist in Dera Ismail khan, a remote district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw.
Gunmen sprayed bullet at Qais Javed as he was about to enter premises of his house late at night on Monday, police said. Deceased was one of the prominent local journalists working for a local newspaper.
According to police complaint, Qais Javed, the deceased had entered his house and was in his front yard when unidentified persons on a motorcycle opened fire. The assailants escaped the scene immediately after, it added.
District police officer confirmed the incident to Islamabad telegraph saying the killers will be arrested soon.
“The official said the FIR had been registered [against suspects]. Police is investigating the case,” DPO said.
However, no arrests had been made so far. Police told media that Investigations were underway to determine the motive behind the killing.
Pakistan continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. 61 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1992.
Also, The Pakistan Press Freedom Report 2019-20, titled “Murders, harassment and assault: The tough wages of journalism in Pakistan”, said in May this year that journalists in Pakistan continued to face threats
As many as 31 of the 91 cases reported between May last year and April this year were reported in Islamabad, followed by 24 cases in Sindh, 20 in Punjab, 13 in Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw and only three in Baluchistan.
The report launched by the Freedom Network — a media rights watchdog — cited 91 violent incidents, including seven murders of journalists and a blogger, and attacks and other offences against media and its practitioners.