Regarded as a top tourist destination only two years ago, Swat valley in the North-West Frontier Province has since been devastated by fighting between government forces and the Taliban insurgency group, Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM). Both during and after peace negotiations, the ongoing threat to journalists in the area was highlighted by a series of violent events.
The Pakistani Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) reported the murder of Musa Khankhel on 18 February. Whilst covering a peace march for Geo News channel, he went missing for several hours before his body was found. Government officials promised a full investigation but past efforts have often failed to result in arrests or prosecutions. Although Musa Khankhel reported threats prior to his death, the motive behind the attack remains unclear.
This is the second assassination of a journalist in Pakistan since the beginning of 2009. On 24 January, Aamir Wakil, who worked for daily newspaper Awami Inquilab, was gunned down outside his home. Within the Swat region itself, the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) has recorded the death of four journalists since 2007.
The evening before Musa Khankhel’s death, the Wana Press Club was attacked by a gang of armed and masked men, who blew up the building with explosives. The club, an important meeting place for journalists, was completely destroyed. There were no casualties but it sent a threatening message. The president of the club, Hafiz Wazir, told Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ‘It was an attack against press freedom, but that will not prevent journalists in the tribal areas from continuing to inform people’. No-one has taken responsibility for the attack, but an RSF source explained that the government army were using several press clubs as operation bases for attacks on the Taliban. However local Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir, denied any involvement.
On February 8, Noorul Hasan, journalist and chief of TV channel Royal, was kidnapped by an unidentified group on his return from reporting on the conflict in Swat. Channel officials described how he was blindfolded throughout the 30 hour ordeal, questioned about his completed report and an interview he previously conducted with Taliban leader Muslim Khan, before being threatened and thrown from a car.
The close succession of these events sparked a protest demonstration held by the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) on 19 February. Those who attended called for full government investigations into the recent murder and more measures to protect journalists. As incidents of violence against journalists rise in Pakistan, it is essential for such demands to be heeded.
