May 03, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1428

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KARACHI, May 2: Increasingly dangerous trends of violence threatened Pakistani journalists during the past year, leaving at least five of them dead.

Six journalists were kidnapped and tortured by intelligence agencies and over 50 others were injured, says a report of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), released on the occasion of the International Press Freedom Day to be observed on Thursday.

The year 2006 also witnessed new dimensions in violence against journalists, as their families were also targeted. Taimur Khan, brother of BBC correspondent Dilawar Khan, and child Bashir Khan, brother of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan, were killed.

The tribal areas bordering Afghanistan remained the most dangerous place for reporting.

Reporting also became difficult in the interior of Sindh, and in areas like Dera Bugti in Balochistan. The report revealed that dozens of journalists in the tribal areas and Balochistan had quit journalism.Attacks on reporters and cameramen working for leading news channels like Geo, ARY One World, Aaj, KTN and Sindh TV were reported.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) took action against some of the channels either directly or through cable operators.

Almost all the private news channels remained under ‘official scrutiny’ and received ‘press advice’, with some facing unofficial ‘suspension’, fine or going off air, while TV channel licences were blocked for political reasons.

The report said the government had failed to solve the murder cases of two senior journalists, Mohammad Ismail and Maqbool Sial. A reporter of daily Ibrat and Editor of daily Nijat of Sukkur, Makhdoom Rafiq, were also killed.

The union expressed concern over the sudden closure of some TV channels without paying legal dues to their employees.

Photojournalist Shoaib Khan, who lost his right eye in a suicide bomb blast on April 12, last year, also lost his speech and could hardly walk. The PFUJ appealed to different segments of the society to help him.

One of the six journalists abducted, Hayatullah Khan, was killed, while others were released after torture.

Cameraman Munir Sangi of the Kawish Television Network was shot dead while filming a tribal feud in Larkana district. The PFUJ suspected involvement of a Sindh minister in protecting the killers.

In view of the rising incidents of violence against journalists, an international mission visited Pakistan at the invitation of the PFUJ.

Action was needed for pursuing the journalists’ killers, immediate implementation of the Seventh Wage Award for newspapers’ employees, labour law reforms and the development of a culture of safety and security of journalists, particularly in the tribal areas, the PFUJ said.