Pakistan has slowly turned into a killing field for journalists, as the troubled nation witnessed the murder of four media persons in the last five months. Indian subcontinent has reported six journo-casualties since January 1 2024, and Pakistan shared most of them. More shockingly, the South Asian nation lost two journalists to assailants within a fortnight in May itself. The latest victim comes to light with the assassination of Mehar Ashfaq Siyal, who was shot dead by the miscreants in Muzaffargarh locality of Punjab province. Mehar (45), who was associated with an Urdu newspaper (Daily Khabrain), faced the bullets of unidentified assailants on May 15. He was shifted to a nearby hospital but succumbed to injuries.
Besides local journo-bodies, the Geneva-based global media safety and rights body Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) expressed grave concern over his killing. It demanded a fair probe into the incident. Mehar Ashfaq Siyal is the 47th journalist killed this year across the world. Pakistan government must probe into the murder and punish the culprits under the law, said PEC president Blaise Lempen. He added that PEC stands with the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in their mission for justice for the victims. Pakistani media persons are also raising voices for adequate financial compensation for bereaved families. Earlier on World Press Freedom Day (May 3), Maulana Mohammad Siddique Mengal was killed in a blast that took place in Balochistan. Another journalist named Jam Saghir Ahmed Laar, who also worked for Daily Khabrain from Punjab, was shot dead on March 14. Before him, a Pakpattan-based journalist (Tahira Nosheen Rana) was brutally assassinated on March 11.
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria revealed that since January 1, Pakistan lost four journalists to assailants. In contrast, its neighbour Bharat lost one (Ashutosh Srivastava), and Myanmar witnessed the death of Ko Myat Thu Tun in the military atrocities. Last year, Pakistan lost Imtiaz Baig, Ghulam Asghar Khand and Jan Mohammed Mahar, and India witnessed the killing of Shashikant Warishe, Abdur Rauf Alamgir and Vimal Kumar Yadav. Similarly, Ashiqul Islam and Golam Rabbani Nadim lost their lives in Bangladesh, whereas Husein Naderi and Akmal Nazari were killed in Afghanistan.
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