Journalist shot dead in Pakistan, PEC demands punishment

PEC

Journalist

Geneva: Expressing grief over the demise of Karachi-based Pakistani
television journalist Athar Mateen, the global media safety and rights
body Press Emblem Campaign (https://pressemblem.ch/) insists on a
genuine probe into the incident that led to his killing during the
morning hours on 18 February 2022. PEC also demands compensation to
the bereaved family.

Associated with the private news channel Samaa Television, Mateen
(45) was targeted by two armed men at Nazimabad area of the port city
in west Pakistan. He tried to prevent them from robbing a pedestrian
on the street. The men on a bike opened fire on Mateen and fled from
the location. Wounded Mateen was taken to a nearby hospital where he
succumbed to injuries.

Mateen, who worked as a senior news producer, was also partially
associated with Aaj News and ARY News. Besides the Pak media
fraternity, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and
State chief minister Murad Ali Shah also condemned the incident and
directed the police to nab the culprits at the earliest to punish
under the law.

“It’s shocking that Pakistan has lost three scribes this year and
emerged as a dangerous country for working journalists. Earlier, the
Lahore-based journalist Hasnain Shah (45) was killed on 24 January by
two bike-riders outside the local press club. It was followed by
another assassination of scribes when Ghulam Murtaza Shar (32) faced
bullets from two armed men riding a two-wheeler in Sindh province on
30 January,” said Blaise Lempen, secretary-general of PEC.
Till date, 20 journalists have been killed worldwide in 2022, where
Mexico tops the list with six casualties, followed by Pakistan (3),
Haiti, India (2 dead each), Myanmar, Philippines, Kazakhstan,
Honduras, Yemen, Tchad and Brazil (one each). PEC’s south Asia
representative Nava Thakuria informed that 79 journalists were killed
last year, where Pakistan lost Ajay Laalwani, Waseem Alam, Abdul Wahid
Raisani, Kashif Hussain, Shahid Zehri, Nazim Samwal Jokhio and
Muhammad Zada to assailants.