Attack on journalist Matiullah Jan is yet another reminder of the daily threats journalists face in Pakistan on account of their professional duties. Two unidentified men threw a brick on the journalist’s car and escaped. His children were inside the car at the time of the attack. The pattern of the attack is somewhat similar to the one that targeted journalist Azad Syed in June this year. This might as well be an organised campaign to intimidate journalists who cover sensitive issues and are critical of some of the state policies. We urge the government to make arrangement to ensure the security of journalists and protection from harassment. It also needs to be investigated if the current wave of attacks against journalists is linked to the policy reflected in the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) drive against social media dissenters. Whether or not that policy has ended is still unclear. The new Interior Minister needs to come clean on that front. Not too long ago, the FIA was being used to harass journalists and dissenters under the garb of protecting national security. The FIA had interrogated and/or detained over 100 social media activists and journalists. A number of activists had also complained of harassment by FIA officials. The practice of government naming people and merely accusing them of involvement in anti-state activities is not only undemocratic, but also dangerous because it might end up provoking people to take law into their own hands. Such trends have been witnessed in Pakistan many times before. So far, the government has not even issued warnings that those taking law into their own hands will be dealt strictly. Therefore, we hold the government responsible for the recent increase in attacks on journalists. The ongoing attempt to curb dissenting views should be opposed by all democratic forces. We urge the government to provide protection to all media workers and activists. * Published in Daily Times, September 26th 2017.