On May 29, Munir Sangi, a cameraman for Kawish Television Network (KTN), a privately owned, Sindhi-language station, was shot dead by unidentified men. According to reports, Mr. Sangi had been receiving threats for his coverage of alleged abuses by Altaf Unar, a minister in the Sindh government. On the day he was shot, Mr. Sangi was covering an armed conflict between the Unar and Abro tribes in Larkana. He received bullets in his chest and died a few hours later after receiving no treatment.
The incident has caused much concern within the country as well as outside. Reporters without Borders, an international media watchdog, has called upon the government to investigate the murder in light of what is known – the threats Mr. Sangi received from the minister. “It is vital that this murder should not go unpunished,” RSF wrote, adding: “The Pakistani police and judicial authorities must carry out a professional and impartial investigation.” We support these demands. In Sindh, journalists have staged demonstrations in the major cities to press the authorities to identify and arrest those responsible for Mr. Sangi’s murder. The issue also needs to be taken up by journalists across the country.
The press in Pakistan has never been truly free and what freedom it does enjoy has been wrested from various governments and powerful interest groups through a hard battle over decades. Not only has the press to fight consistently to retain the freedoms it has got, it has also to continue the struggle for greater freedom. While it is difficult today for the government and non-governmental groups to take on the press blatantly in major urban centers – though the government of Nawaz Sharif tried even that – the media is much less protected in the remote rural areas of the country where feudal and tribal mindsets still prevail.
The interior of Sindh is one such area. It is up to the inquiry committee, if any is established, to pin down Mr. Sangi’s killer. No one can be allowed to get away with such violence, especially when the violence is meant to suppress truth and dissent. If authorities do not press on with Mr. Sangi’s murder, many more journalists could end up like him. That would bode ill for freedom of expression in this country.
Source: Daily Times
Date:6/2/2006
