ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Tuesday said that a judicial commission would be constituted to ascertain facts about the killing of a private news channel journalist in Khuzdar.

The commission, to be headed by a senior judge with members from the journalist community, will find the facts about the killing of Abdul Haq Baloch, a working journalist, he added.

The interior minister was speaking to media representatives, who were protesting outside the National Press Club (NPC) against killing of journalists, registration of cases against them and their dismissal from different media organisations.

Malik said that he would also depute Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials to probe the reasons of killing so as to prepare a strategy to avoid such incidents in future.

He also announced withdrawal of a case registered against the journalists for holding protest in Quetta and added that in that regard, he had already talked to the Balochistan chief minister and the home secretary.

Malik said that he had directed the home secretary to arrest the killers of Abdul Haq Baloch and also announced Rs 2.5 million reward for the person, who would provide information leading to the killers' arrest.

He said that besides providing financial assistance to the deceased's family, his son would be given a job in the FIA.

Malik said that the government believed in the freedom of media and would continue facilitating it to flourish.

The minister also vowed to propose a bill ensuring protection of the journalists. For drafting of the bill, to be called “Protection of Journalists”, he will talk to Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, he said, adding that the main objective of the bill will be to facilitate those journalists, who worked in war zones.

On the issue of registration of cases against journalists in Aabpara Police Station, Malik assured that he will talk to the Inspector General Police (IGP) Islamabad in this regard and the matter will be addressed positively.

Earlier, a large number of journalists staged protest rallies across the country to condemn the killing of the journalist.