Journalists show solidarity: Express News staffer’s murder condemned

CCRAR and members of National Press Club give a 72-hour deadline to arrest the remaining killers at large.

RAWALPINDI:

The responsibility of decrying unwarranted violence and seeking accountability in Pakistan more often than not falls on the journalist. But what is a journalist to do when life and personal safety themselves are at stake?

This persisting dilemma was faced most recently by Haroon Ahmad, a non-linear editor at Express News who was murdered by robbers. Condemning this vile act, a protest was staged on Sunday by the Crime and Court Reporters Association Rawalpindi (CCRAR) and members of the National Press Club, who gave a 72-hour deadline to arrest the remaining killers at large.

Led by CCRAR office bearers including Syed Shehryar, senior vice president Sadaqat Ali, Sultan Shah, Matiullah Jan and other journalists of Rawalpindi, the protesters also staged a walk from Rawalpindi Press Club to Benazir Bhutto Road. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with demands to arrest the killers and control rampant lawlessness.

Speaking to the protesters, former CCRAR vice president Sultan Shah said the life and property of every journalist and policeman is under threat. He said several journalists have been killed in the last two months. “The complete failure of the Punjab government is evident as the crime rate in almost every city of the province has nearly doubled,” he said.

RPP Vice President Sadaqat Ali said the city’s ill-equipped, sparsely populated police department is the main cause of the lawlessness. “The provincial government is aware of the issue but is not taking interest in protecting our lives and property,” he alleged. He said journalists are being targeted for their efforts to highlight people’s problems and government inefficacy.

Matiullah Jan said the journalists’ community has been shocked by the killing of their colleagues and demand the government to protect the lives of journalists. One of the three main accused in Ahmad’s murder has been arrested.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2014.