Islamabad [Pakistan], August 27 : A local journalist was killed in the Ghotki district in Pakistan's Sindh, Geo News, reported citing police. The locals have blamed dacoits for the killing of journalist Bachal Ghunio, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
According to the police, the deceased was attacked while he was in his fields. The police said that the journalist's body was taken to Taluka headquarter Ubuaro hospital and an investigation is being conducted.
Bachal Ghunio's family held a protest outside the office of the senior superintendent of police in Mirpur Mathelo. They called for the arrest of the suspects, according to a Geo News report.
Speaking with Geo News, the deceased journalist's minor son said there was enmity between his father and some members of the community. However, Ghunio was killed despite the issues being decided upon.
He further stated that opponents had also targeted his father a few years back. Taking notice of the matter, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has issued orders for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing, Geo News reported.
He also ordered the intensification of operations against dacoits in the riverine area. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon condemned the incident and reassured that those responsible for the heinous act will soon be brought to justice.
Calling the targeting of journalists an attack on press freedom, Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi has called for the arrest of those responsible for Ghunio's killing.
Ghunio's killing comes amid a notable rise in violence against journalists in Pakistan in recent times making him the ninth one to be killed in 2024.
Earlier in July, reporter Malik Hassan Zaib was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while he was travelling with his brother.
On May 15, Ashfaq Ahmed Sial from Muzaffargarh was shot by two motorcyclists. Muhammad Siddique Mengal of Balochistan was killed in a bomb attack on May 3.
Kamran Dawar from the Tapi area in Pakistan's North Waziristan was shot dead on May 21. On the same day, journalist Nasrullah Gadani was shot by assailants on motorcycles near Korai Goth. He succumbed to the injuries three days later.
Journalist Khalil Jibran of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Landi Kotal area was also shot dead by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle on June 18, Geo News reported.
Earlier in June, the International Press Institute (IPI) global network had expressed alarm over attacks on Pakistani journalists and called on the authorities to ensure the safety and protection of the media, the report said.
Similarly, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a statement issued in May, had said that journalism was "under threat" in Pakistan.
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