Police in Pakistan say gunmen have shot dead two journalists in separate attacks in the country’s violent port city of Karachi in the last 24 hours. Police say the first attack Tuesday night saw gunmen open fire on a van of the private satellite news channel Geo TV, killing a technician and wounding the driver. The second attack happened Wednesday morning. Feroz Shah, a deputy inspector-general of police, said gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed journalist Aftab Alam as he stood outside his home. Alam previously worked with Geo TV.It wasn’t clear whether the two attacks were related or due to the fact those involved were journalists. The purpose is hidden but clearly there is a desire to strike fear amongst the media and perhaps force it into silence. It is not insignificant that despite the ongoing large-scale operation in Karachi, security forces have been unable to either protect media personnel or apprehend those carrying out the attacks. This is a situation that needs to be dealt with on an urgent basis. The Rangers came out with a strong statement on Wednesday, declaring that the killers of the mediamen would not be spared. In the first place our massive intelligence network must make a more focused effort to discover who is responsible in mowing down journalists in this fashion. It is quite obvious a message is being sent out. The media has no capacity to defend itself against armed killers. Professionals who must venture into the field in the course of their duty are especially vulnerable to gunmen or other assailants. In the past too Geo has come under fire. It is not known if this time round a larger portion of the media is to be hit. But a distinct policy is being followed. The two attacks on two consecutive days are no coincidence. They have clearly been thought out and planned. We need to discover who is responsible. It is crucial that all media bodies, putting aside their internal rivalries, stand together against this. Media owners or media channels must also pressurise the government to protect their workers and by doing so prevent the citizens of Pakistan from being denied access to knowledge, which is a basic constitutional right.
pk.shafaqna.com
