PESHAWAR: International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders expressed indignation at the death of a private news channel’s cameraman Malik Arif and injuries to five other journalists in a suicide bomb blast on Friday at a hospital in Quetta.

Arif, who had been in the profession for the last 30 years was a father of four children and the second journalist to be killed in the country since the start of this year.

“When all the businessmen’s friends and all the journalists had gathered at the hospital, a suicide bomber came up, opened fire and then blew himself up in the middle of the crowd,” a Quetta-based journalist told ‘Reporters Without Borders’.

The journalists were present at the hospital to film a gathering of Shias to show support and solidarity to a Shia businessman who had been made a target of a murder attempt.

The media watchdog organisation also expressed dismay at the attempted abduction of a tribal journalist, Imran Khan from the Bajaur tribal region.

“We condemn targeted violence against journalists in the Tribal Areas… The Taliban leaders must give a clear undertaking not to target journalists while the army must provide the media with better security guarantees in both the Tribal Areas and Balochistan,” the watchdog organisation added.

Around 10 gunmen tried to abduct Khan from his home in Khar. Witnesses said they managed to escape “purely by chance”.

Recently, Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, accused the “pro-American media of spreading disinformation about the Taliban”.

Pakistan is ranked 159th out of 175 countries in the 2009 ‘Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index. Noor Elahi Bugti, Salman Ashraf, Fareed Ahmed, Khalil Ahmed and Malik Sohail from various private news channels were among the others who were injured in the attack.
Source: The News
Date:4/17/2010