01 Nov 11 | News and features
Islamabad Bureau Chief, Pakistan Press International – Islamabad, Pakistan – 1 November 2006
Join us in demanding justice for Mohammad Ismail, last seen on 31 October 2006 when he left his home to go for an evening walk. He was found the next morning near his home, with his skull smashed in. He was carrying little of value when he was assaulted, and his agency was not known for particularly critical reporting of the government. According to the Pakistan Press Foundation, at least 32 journalists have been killed in the country for their work since 2002.
Take action and send a letter to the authorities demanding an immediate and open investigation into this case here
International Day to End Impunity is on 23 November. Until that date, we will reveal a story each day of a journalist, writer or free expression advocate who was killed in the line of duty.
10 Oct 11 | Index Index, minipost
The body of a journalist working for a London-based online news site has been discovered by police in Pakistan. Faisal Qureshi, 28, who was working as web-editor for internet publication the London Post, was discovered on Friday morning in Lahore, with his throat slit, and stab wounds to his body. Shahid Qureshi, Faisal Qureshi’s brother, told police his brother had been receiving death threats from unidentified people which he believed to be over some news reports in his paper. Qureshi’s laptop and mobile phone were also missing. Police have said the motive for the murder is unclear.
15 Aug 11 | Index Index, minipost
Muneer Shakir, who worked for Online News Network and a Balochi television station called Sabzbaat, was killed on 14 August in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The reason for his murder is still unclear. According to the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ), Shakir is the sixth journalist to be killed in Pakistan in 2011. They also say that, despite reporting threats against journalists in provincial regions, no preventative action has been taken.
11 Aug 11 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
On 2 August, a Pakistani police station supervisor allegedly beat a female curator for “indecent behavior”. The incident occurred in Nairang Art Gallery, a well-known gathering place for left-leaning intellectuals in Lahore. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the officer “brutally assaulted” the woman and entered the premises without a warrant. Hina Jilani, a prominent activist and human rights lawyer, told the Daily Times that the attack on one of the few remaining cultural and intellectual hubs of Lahore was an example of increasing religious extremism in the region.
