KARACHI: Eleven journalists fell victim to terrorist incidents during discharge of their responsibilities in the country in 2013, according to a report released by the Media Monitoring Cell of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE).

Five journalists died during the coverage of bomb blasts and six others in targeted killings. The CPNE called for the arrest of the killers and compensation for the families of the victims.

On Jan 11, Samaa TV reporter Saifur Rehman and cameraman Imran Shaikh died while covering a bomb blast in Alamdar Road in Quetta, when a second bomb exploded. A photographer of NNI news agency, Mohammad Iqbal, and INP news agency’s photographer Mohammad Hussain also lost their lives in the same incident.

On Feb 27, Geo TV reporter Malik Mohammad Mumtaz was shot dead by terrorists in North Waziristan.

In the same month, a reporter of a local daily, Shaikh Ali Mohsin, was gunned down near his house in New Karachi.

On March 1, armed men murdered Mehmood Khan Afridi, correspondent of daily Intikhab, when he was returning home from office.

On April 17, Tariq Aslam, a sub-editor of daily Pakistan, was killed in a bomb blast at a corner meeting of a political party in Peshawar.

The Karachi correspondent of Balochi language Tawwar, Abdul Razaq Sarbazi, was kidnapped from Lyari in March. Forty-four days later, his body bearing torture wounds was found in Surjani Town area of Karachi. On May 24, Ahmed Ali Joya of daily Express Tribune was shot dead in Bahawalnagar.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ayub Khattak, correspondent of Karak Times, was gunned down outside his house.

A number of other incidents of harassment and revenge attacks also took place during the year.

In one such incident, APP chief reporter Khushnood Ali Shaikh was killed in a hit-and-run incident. His family maintains that he was murdered as he had been receiving calls for extortion after purchasing a house.—APP

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