PESHAWAR: Senior journalist, writer and former staffer of Daily Dawn Sailab Mehsud died in Islamabad on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

According to the family, 70-year-old veteran journalist, whose real name was Rifatullah, died at a private hospital in Islamabad where he had been admitted for about five months.

He had joined Daily Dawn as correspondent from South Waziristan in 2002. He had also worked with international human rights watchdogs. He widely covered Al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, civil war in Afghanistan and militancy in the tribal region.

Sailab Mehsud was founding member of Tribal Union of Journalists in the erstwhile Fata. He along with other journalists formed TUJ in 1987. He was a trade union journalist and struggled for press freedom in former Fata.

In this connection, he was jailed for seven years in notorious central jail in Dera Ismail Khan by the political administration of South Waziristan in 1987 under the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

He worked for several national and international media organisations including Reuters, Al Jazeera, Mashal Radio and Daily Jang as correspondent from his native South Waziristan.

Sailab Mehsud had been living in Dera Ismail Khan for last one decade after he along with family was forced to leave his native land owing to militancy.

Mr Mehsud was also a columnist and writer and wrote several books including “Mezz”. He was also the chief editor of Karwan Qabail, the lone weekly of the tribal district for several years.

According to his family, the funeral prayers of the late senior journalist would be offered in Burki Town Jamia Masjid, Dera Ismail Khan on Friday.

Meanwhile, journalists in the tribal districts and across the province have expressed their grief and sorrow over the death of Sailab Mehsud. They termed his death a great lose for the journalism in the tribal districts.

Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan condoled the death of Sailab Mehsud and expressed sympathy with his family.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that late Mehsud struggled for freedom of press in former Fata and also struggled for the fundamental rights of tribal people.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2020