A committee would be constituted soon to probe the brutal murder of a local journalist of Khuzdar, Munir Shakir, the government of Balochistan assured journalists on Tuesday
A group of provincial ministers who met Esa Tareen and Hammadullah Seyapad, president and general secretary of Balochistan Union of Journalists at the protest staged by journalists outside the assembly said all support would be extended to the committee.
The protest was arranged by the BUJ to express solidarity with the district correspondents of Khuzdar and sympathy with the bereaved family of Munir Shakir. After the assembly session started with the recitation from the Holy Quran, the media men walked out of the session and gathered at the main entrance of the assembly.
They remained their and observed a silent protest until Health Minister Ainullah Shams drew the attention of Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani to them who asked the provincial ministers to persuade the journalists to call off their protest.
The ministers Shams, Mir Abdur Rahman Mengal, Mir Hamal Kalmati and Mir Shanawaz Marri assured the journalists of their full support. BUJ president told them that 13 journalists had been killed in Balochistan in the last five years but the government had failed to catch the killers and had not even provided compensation to the families. The ministers took note of the issues raised by the journalists, after which they called the protest off.
HRCP appeals for justice for deceased journalist: LAHORE: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has requested an urgent appeal be made to Pakistani authorities requesting immediate intervention in the murder case of Journalist Munir Shakir. HRCP has requested President Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the federal minister for human rights, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Registrar of the Supreme Court Dr Faqir Hussain, be notified about the situation so that an independent inquiry can be held and the killers prosecuted. Munir Shakir was a correspondent of a local Balochi TV channel and local newspaper. Unidentified, armed assailants gunned down the senior journalist on August 14 while he was en route to Khuzdar, Balochistan on a bike. Munir is the fourth journalist killed in this district during the last 12 months. HRCP reiterated its concern over lack of safety for journalists in Pakistan. It has requested authorities to take meaningful measures to effectively address threats to journalists’ safety. The HRCP has further requested adequate financial assistance for Munir Shakir’s family. Press Release
