ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has said that the murder of senior journalist Chishti Mujahid in Quetta on Saturday, allegedly by the Baloch Liberation Army, adds a new dimension to the rising trend of violence against journalists in Pakistan.

This is the first incident of its kind where a group has claimed responsibility for killing a journalist for his writings, irrespective of what he has written.

“It’s a dangerous trend particularly in such a volatile situation and must be discouraged and condemned,” the PFUJ said in a statement.

Information collected by the PFUJ revealed that Mujahid, who had been writing for the Akhbar-e-Jehan weekly for thirty years, was killed for his article on the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Balaach Marri.

“If BLA’s claim is authentic then killing a journalist may not help its cause. Such violence can prove counter-productive,” it said.

The statement said it was not his article but ‘out of the context headline’ for which he was murdered as he had been getting serious threats since the publication of the article.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists appealed to the management of the weekly to pay appropriate compensation to the aggrieved family and also take safety measures for their staff.

It demanded that the government should order a thorough investigation into the murder and adopt security arrangements for journalists.

In 2007, six journalists were killed and over 70 injured in incidents of violence against media personnel.