• Report launched at CEJ-IBA highlights police negligence, record tampering
• Dahar was murdered during a reporting assignment in 2014; his killers remain at large

KARACHI: More than 12 years after the killing of Larkana-based journalist Shan Dahar, an investigative report on the case has renewed calls for justice, with journalists and the victim’s family urging authorities to reopen the case and bring his killers to account.

The report, A Safer World for the Truth (2025): Truth Denied – How Pakistani Authorities Built an Unsolvable Case, was launched on Wednesday at the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA), in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

As per the report, Dahar was shot in January 2014 while covering stories involving powerful individuals in the area. He died after being left untreated for more than nine hours at a Larkana hospital. An initial investigation classified his death as a murder, but within days the charge was removed and the case was later mishandled, with police records tampered and key evidence lost. His killers remain at large.

It details the failures in the investigation, including judicial delays, police negligence and the systematic suppression of evidence. It also highlights that at least 41 journalists have been killed in Pakistan in connection with their work since 1992, yet almost none of these cases have resulted in convictions.

Speaking at the report’s launching ceremony, journalist and CEJ Director Shahzeb Jilani said that killings of journalists are not limited to any one region but occur across Pakistan. He said that the dynamics vary from region to region: in some areas, journalists are targeted by powerful waderas or political actors, while in others it is the “state.” And such journalists, he added, never receive justice.

He also said that journalists themselves often forget what happens to their colleagues. Initially, there is a hue and cry, but with time everything is forgotten. “As a community, we are also guilty of this,” he said. “We now even blame the victims for pursuing cases involving powerful people and for reporting on them. The mindset has changed, but it should not be this way. Instead, we should support these journalists and continue reporting on and highlighting their cases and their families’ struggles.”

IBA Executive Director Dr S. Akbar Zaidi said that there are two professions in Pakistan that continue to fight without giving up: the army and journalists. He paid tribute to soldiers and journalists and said that both play a critical role in protecting the country. Soldiers do this soldiering by defending Pakistan’s borders and journalists by safeguarding the truth and exposing criminals.

He said that journalists deserve appreciation and respect for the risks they take and the sacrifices they make in the line of duty. A journalist is killed when someone, somewhere, does not want the truth to come out, Mr Zaidi emphasised and encouraged the youth to take up journalism as a profession.

Speaking from the audience, journalist Riaz Sohail commented that most murders of journalists in Pakistan have taken place during the Pakistan Peoples Party governments. He said that the narratives of political parties are also increasingly becoming anti-journalist and journalists now feel isolated in the country.

Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said that flaws do exist within the system and acknowledged that his party accepts its share of responsibility in Dahar’s case.

“Unfortunately, our party did not honour its commitments. If a government cannot fulfil such commitments, then who else will?” he said and promised to offer them support.

A documentary on Dahar’s case was also screened at the event. It featured interviews with his family members and investigative journalists who highlighted how the case was made “unsolvable” by authorities. It was pointed out that Dahar’s critical reporting on the corruption of influential people made him a target, while doctors and police complicated the case further through negligence.

Investigative journalist Adil Jawad said in the documentary that the police had complicated the case and tampered with records. They even reduced and removed key charges. He added that there is sufficient evidence to reopen the case and also called for the powerful people Dahar had been investigating to be included in the probe.

A panel discussion titled “Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists” was also held at the event. It was moderated by journalist Mehmal Sarfraz.

Journalist Shahzeb Ahmed, who is also among the authors of the report, said that Dahar’s journalistic work was the reason behind his killing but the police never looked at the matter in that way. The investigating officer never examined Dahar’s work and lacunae in the investigation, along with police negligence and tampering of records, destroyed the case, he said and added that this is a pattern seen in most cases of journalists’ killings.

Lawyer Salahuddin Panhwar highlighted the role of the judiciary in such cases and explained how judges and investigating officers were transferred or changed as a form of punishment when they attempted to seriously pursue Dahar’s case.

Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed spoke about the low conviction rate and the broader issues within the criminal investigation and judicial systems. He said the investigation system is flawed and has repeatedly failed victims.

He added that the investigation and justice systems are misaligned, which is one of the main reasons such cases remain unresolved.

Panellists, speakers and Dahar’s family agreed that there is sufficient evidence to reopen the case and secure a conviction. They stressed that the case should be reopened in the interest of justice.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026