Report raises concerns over attacks on Pakistani journalists
According to the Pakistan Press Freedom Report 2022, journalists in Pakistan have been subjected to murder, torture, threats, kidnapping, and attacks, with 34% of reported attacks occurring in the federal capital.
91 such incidents occurred across the country in the past year. 24 incidents occurred in Sindh, 20 in Punjab, 13 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and three in Balochistan, according to the report.
According to the findings, a total of seven journalists and bloggers were murdered; their names are Aziz, Arooj Iqbal, Ziaur Rehman, Mohammad Zahid, Mirza Waseem Baig, and Ifthar Ahmad.
From 1992 to 2022, a total of 2,176 journalists were killed, and according to Unesco, eleven journalists were killed in 2010, five in 2011, and ten in 2012. The findings revealed that eight journalists were murdered in 2013, four journalists per year from 2014 to 2017, and five journalists per year from 2018 to 2022.
Between May 2020 and April 2021, attacks increased by 40 percent and there were 148 incidents, the report stated, adding that Pakistan was the most dangerous country for journalists between 2010 and 2013, during which 34 journalists were murdered.
Several journalists were kidnapped and tortured, including Ahmed Nawarni, Umar Cheema, Bilal Farooqui, Matiullah Jan, and Asad Toor. From 1998 to 2001, no journalist murders were reported.