PESHAWAR, Jan 14: Media persons on Friday held a protest demonstration outside Peshawar Press Club against the murder of a private TV channel reporter Wali Khan Babar in Karachi and demanded a judicial inquiry into his killing and arrest of the killers.

Leaders of Khyber Union of Journalists and the PPC led the protesters, who were holding black banners and placards inscribed with demands for effective action to unveil the gangsters involved in this ugly incident. They also raised slogans against the government for its failure to provide protection to media persons.

Those who spoke on the occasion included PPC president Saiful Islam, KhUJ president Bukhar Shah and South Asian Free Media Association provincial president Shamim Shahid.

Mr Shahid described the killing of Mr Babar as an extremely unfortunate incident. He said that the number of martyred journalists across the country had reached 28. He said that journalists had to do their professional duties and those targeting them were in fact anti-state elements, who wanted to create chaos in the country.

He said that the government had failed to protect lives of journalists and Mr Babar's murder was in fact a message to the media to stop exposing the ugly faces of the criminals, killers and anti-state elements.

He also demanded of the government to disclose names of those involved in killing of other journalists in Fata and other parts of the country.

Bukhar Shah said that the killing of Mr Babar had shocked the entire community. He said the Sindh government was duty bound to trace the killers and award them exemplary punishment.

Saiful Islam said that dozens of media persons had been targeted by miscreants in different parts of the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the government was yet to arrest the murderers.

He said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa journalists were already facing hardships and now the tyrants had also started targeting them in Karachi and Quetta. MANSEHRA:

Journalists here on Friday took out a protest procession against the killing of journalist Wali Khan Babar in Karachi. The protestors demanded early arrest of terrorists who had killed the innocent journalist.

Those who spoke on this occasion included Tahir Shahzad, Mohammad Hussain, Nisar Ahmad and Masood Shook. MINGORA:

Despite rain and chilly weather, the journalists' community on Friday held a protest rally in Swat against the murder of Wali Khan Babar and demanded immediate arrest of his killers.

The rally announced three-day mourning and termed the killing of Mr Babar as an act of terrorism. The participants chanted slogans against the Sindh and federal governments for their failure to provide protection to journalists.