All kinds of violence are resorted to and all types of threats are used against the media.[1] Journalists and media persons in Pakistan are victims of violence committed by radical groups and organizations, political parties, religious organizations, governments and other segments of the state and society. As usual, much violence occurred targeting the media during 2008. Media offices and TV stations were attacked a number of times by the state and nonstate forces in many cities including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

Different casualty figures have been presented by different organizations. Seven journalists were killed in Pakistan during the year according to Reporters sans Frontiers.[2] PFUJ tells the number to be eight.[3] Intermedia has enumerated twelve journalists killed[4] during the year in the country. The figure is much higher as compared to the global figures. Sixty (60) journalists were killed all over the world in total, says a report by Reporters sans Frontiers.[5] It means 12 to 20 percent of the total journalists’ killings took place in Pakistan in the said year. In fact, the second largest number is from Pakistan after Iraq, as the following table shows.

The seven journalists killed, their organization and date of killing is given in this table.

The eighth name added by the PFUJ report is that of Qari Shoib, a correspondent for daily Azadi, who was allegedly killed by the security forces.

A report by Intermedia gives further details about the violations against the media in the country. According to it, two hundred and one (201) such cases were recorded in the year. Three (3) of the killed journalists were from Punjab, 3 from NWFP, 2 from Balochistan, 2 from Sindh, 1 from Islamabad and 1 from FATA. Forty (40) journalists were arrested or abducted in 13 cases. Twenty-seven (27) out of forty were from FATA, 5 from Balochistan and 1 each from NWFP and Islamabad. Seventy-four (74) journalists received serious or minor injuries in 41 cases. One hundred and eighteen (118) more cases were recorded of intimidation and threats. Four attacks on media property were reported, says the Intermedia report. According to the report, “the most dangerous place to practice journalism was Punjab” with a total of 64 cases of violations against media.[8] In PFUJ’s observation, however, Swat and Bajour “remained the most dangerous areas for reporting” as two of the eight journalists were killed in Swat.[9] According to the PFUJ report, none of the cases of the eight journalists killed was prosecuted, probed nor any suspects were arrested in these cases.

As the above table shows, 427 journalists have been killed in past 7 years in the world. Twenty (20) out of 427 were killed in Pakistan. It makes 5 percent. The figure is far lower than that of 2008 alone – 12% to 20%. We can also look at these figures from another angle. In six years – 2002 to 2007 – total 13 journalists were killed in Pakistan whereas 7 in 2008 alone. The increase is very alarming as the following graph shows.[11]

Notes and References