Toronto, June 1 (IANS) The Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) Wednesday expressed outrage over the slaying of Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad and urged the Pakistan government to do all it can to find the perpetrators.
CJA president Hassan Shahriar said he and his colleagues at the CJA were alarmed and dismayed over the rising incidents of violence against journalists in Pakistan especially those journalists who were working in tribal areas.
The Rural Media Network of Pakistan’s website has reported that nine Pakistani journalists have lost their lives since the start of 2011. Seventeen were killed in 2010.
‘We demand that Pakistani government take steps to provide security for journalists and allow them to carry out their duties without fear of harm and intimidation,’ said Shahriar.
The body of Syed Saleem Shahzad, Islamabad-based journalist, was found May 31, two days after he was reported missing and a day after both the Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists had sent a joint letter to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani calling for immediate action to find Shahzad.
Shahzad’s latest article for Asia Times was about a Taliban-led attack on Mehran naval base in Karachi May 22 in which 11 soldiers and four attackers were killed.
He said in his report that Al-Qaeda had established a ‘good network’ within the Pakistani navy and that ‘there were negotiations between an Al-Qaeda operative in North Waziristan and naval officers.
