The US State Department has emphasized the importance of safeguarding journalists worldwide following the murder of Pakistani reporter Malik Hassan Zaib, who was killed last week in a targeted attack in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Zaib, the eighth journalist to be killed in Pakistan since the beginning of 2024 according to the International Press Institute, was in a car with his brother when two unidentified assailants on a motorbike stopped the vehicle and shot him dead on the spot. His brother survived the attack and filed a first information report (FIR). The motive behind the 40-year-old journalist’s murder remains unclear. “Journalists need to be protected and they need to be allowed to do their jobs, whether that be the United States, whether that be Pakistan, whether that be in the Gaza Strip,” stated Vedant Patel, the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson, during a press briefing on Thursday. “This is something we feel strongly about, and it’s deeply personal to the Secretary [Antony Blinken],” he added. “It’s obviously personal to us and our team, as we spend most of our days engaging with you all. But simply put, journalists need to be protected and allowed to do their jobs,” Patel emphasized. Zaib, who worked for a daily publication covering health and city beats, was also a member of the Khyber Union of Journalists and the Peshawar Press Club (PPC). On June 18, journalist Khalil Jibran was also shot dead by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle. The International Press Institute notes that it is unclear how many of these killings were directly related to the journalists’ work.