A protest was held outside the Peshawar Press Club against the lack of security provided to media personnel, especially in volatile regions. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR: Condemning the killing of journalist Malik Mumtaz Khan in North Waziristan, media personnel in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Fata on Thursday asked the government to expose the killers and ensure media personnel’s security.
Malik Mumtaz, who was associated with Geo News and Khyber TV, was brutally gunned down by unidentified persons on Wednesday while he was on his way home to Miranshah from Chashma.
The Khyber Union of Journalists (KUJ) and Peshawar Press Club (PPC) members condemned the correspondent’s killing and demanded necessary action be taken against the culprits.
PPC President Nasir Hussain and General Secretary Yousaf Ali, KUJ President Arshad Aziz Malik and General Secretary Ali Hazrat Bacha, and Tribal Union of Journalists President Nasir Mohmand demanded the government order a judicial inquiry into the incident and take steps to ensure the future safety of journalists.
Addressing a gathering of reporters at the PPC, they said several journalists had been killed in K-P and the tribal areas during the last 10 years. In addition to demanding security provisions, they also urged media groups and government to announce ‘Shuhada Packages’ for journalists, which in the event of a reporter’s death, would provide support to his or her family.
Meanwhile, staff of the Fata Secretariat Directorate of Information (DIF) offered condolences to Mumtaz’s family over the untimely demise of Miranshah Press Club president.
In a meeting held at the DIF, Information Director Omer Khan and Information Deputy Director Fazalullah expressed profound grief and shock over Mumtaz’s death and offered prayers for his departed soul.
Mumtaz was a well-respected journalist known for his unbiased and accurate reporting in North Waziristan agency. The vacuum created by his death in journalistic circles, in North Waziristan in particular and Fata in general, will be felt for a long time.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2013.
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