A New York-based independent watchdog body the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has condemned Monday’s terrorist attack at the Quetta Civil Hospital that killed at least 70 people, including two journalists.
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Cameraman of two private news channels Mehmood Khan and Shehzad Ahmed were at the hospital reporting on a gathering of mourners grieving the murder of Baluchistan Bar Association President Bilal Kasi, when the massive bomb went off.
Shehzad died on the spot, while Mehmood breathed his last at a hospital soon after the incident.
“This deadly attack underlines the extreme dangers journalists face working in Pakistan,” CPJ Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler said in a statement.
“The deaths of Shehzad Ahmed and Mehmood Khan testify to the bravery and dedication of Pakistan’s press corp.”
In a press release, CPJ said Monday’s deaths bring to at least 60 the number of journalists killed in Pakistan since 1992, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.
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