QUETTA / SUKKUR: Irshad Ahmed Mastoi, bureau chief of the Online news agency, reporter Abdul Rasool Khajak and accountant Mohammad Younis, killed in an overnight attack on their offices in Quetta, were buried in their native towns on Friday.

Hundreds of people, including a large number of journalists, trade union leaders, writers and workers of political parties, attended the funerals of Mr Mastoi and Mr Khajak.

Their bodies were sent to Jacobabad and Sibi on Thursday night.

Slain news workers laid to rest

Balochistan Union of Journalists president Ifran Saeed, senior journalist Shahzada Zulfiqar and other colleagues of the two deceased journalists accompanied the coffins.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Afzal Butt, secretary Khursheed Abbasi and senior leaders also went to Jacobabad to attend the funeral of Mr Mastoi.

Mr Younis was buried in Quetta’s Sabzal Road graveyard.

The body of Mr Mastoi was taken to his home in Channa Muhalla.

His funeral prayer was attended by a large number of journalists from Sindh and Balochistan besides his relatives, friends and local people.

A protest demonstration held in front of the Quetta Press Club by the Balochistan Union of Journalists and the QPC was attended by a large number of journalists and newspapers workers who carried banners and placards inscribed with their demands and raised slogans against terrorism and the government.

Addressing the protesters, leaders of the community, including QPC president Razaur Rehman, BUJ vice-president Nasim Hameed and Anwar Sajdi of the Editors’ Council condemned the brutal killings and criticised the government’s failure to protect media houses and journalists.

They said over 40 journalists had been killed in Balochistan over the past few years but the government and its investigation agencies had failed to find the culprits.

They said the government had not restored its writ and, as a result, there was an increase in targeted killings of journalists and other people.

“Our community will not compromise on the freedom of press and expression for which journalists have struggled and rendered sacrifices,” they said. Demanding protection from the government, they lamented that a promise made by Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch in the provincial assembly that a commission would be set up to investigate journalists’ murders had not been met. They said a commission headed by a judge of the Balochistan High Court should be set up.

In Jacobabad, protesters marched from the press club to the DC Chowk where they held a sit-in for three hours.

PFUJ president Afzal Butt said on the occasion that the federal and provincial governments had failed to fulfil their commitments of providing adequate security to journalists and their offices. The failure of the authorities had left the journalists at the mercy of terrorists, he said.

BUJ president Irfan Saeed said the killing of Mr Mastoi was part of a conspiracy. But, he added, journalists would continue to stand by the without any fear or hesitation.

The leaders of the PFUJ announced 10 days of mourning and warned that the entire community would demonstrate outside the Balochistan Assembly if the killers were not arrested during period of mourning.

The Balochistan High Court Bar Association’s president Sajid Tareen and vice-president Nazeer Agha and former speaker of the provincial assembly Muhammad Aslam Bhootani also condemned the killings.

According to APP, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif sought a report about the incident from the authorities concerned.

Our Hyderabad bureau adds: Journalists of Hyderabad held a demonstration outside the local press club on a call given by the PFUJ headed by president Rana Azeem and its secretary general Amin Yusuf. The demonstration was led by Hyderabad Union of Journalists president Junaid Khanzada, general secretary Javed Channa, press club president Altaf Koti and Pakistan Photojournalists Associa-tion’s general secretary Akram Shahid. The protesters said they would not be intimidated by the killing of journalists.

Our Correspondent in Badin adds: Journalists held a condolence and protest meeting at Awan-i-Sahafat and marched on the Shah Latif Road. They were led by the leader of local Chamber of Journalists, Muhammad Haroon Gopang.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014