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As media freedom in Pakistan continues to deteriorate, another senior journalist was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Saturday.
The incident took place in the Toba Tek Singh province of Pakistan's Punjab when the deceased journalist, Muhammad Younis was on his way to his farmland at Mouza Manganwala on his motorcycle when two men hiding in a field opened gunfire, according to Dawn. The shooting incident left the journalist dead on the spot and the attackers then fled the scene. Taking notice of the brutal murder, the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Faisal Shahkar has sought a report from Faisalabad Regional Police Officer (RPO) Babar Sarfraz Alpa. Moreover, Jhang District Police Officer (DPO) Rashid Hidayat ordered the immediate arrest of the journalist's killers, constituting a team consisting of Shorkot deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and other expert officers to probe the incident, Dawn reported. The curb on media freedom in Pakistan has highlighted that media freedom has been under serious question in the South-Asian country. The media freedom paints an abysmal picture of the realities of being a journalist in the country. In the last year alone, many journalists were killed in the line of duty and how overall attempts to stifle the media and block access to information have grown, according to Dawn. In the past year, the financial standing of media houses has also worsened. Two media workers took their own lives due to unemployment. The situation today, the report concludes, is worse than during the previous two years. The everyday hardships faced by journalists who risk their lives in mostly low-paid jobs to fulfil a critical role in Pakistan continue to be subjected to incessant violence and abductions. Media workers, both field reporters and desk staff are increasingly experiencing either harassment or financial hardship or both. They are being threatened, silenced and squeezed. Be it a prime-time TV anchor or a beat reporter, the threats exist for everyone. Even media group owners are not immune to such harassment. Notably, Pakistan has been ranked the fifth most dangerous place for the practice of journalism, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). According to the media reports, 138 media persons in the country lost their lives in the line of duty between 1990 and 2020. Pakistan remains among the top 10 countries where predators of attacks on journalists and media go unpunished. (ANI)
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