There has been a worrying spike in violence against journalists in Pakistan, specifically in the restive provinces of Swat and Baluchistan. On Sunday, 14 August, Muneer Shakir, a correspondent for Waqt News was gunned down on his way home, in the town of Khuzdar in Baluchistan. He died in hospital.

Although Shakir had not reported receiving threats, the rising trend of violence against journalists, and Pakistan’s reputation for impunity, make a full investigation into the motives behind this murder essential.

On 17 August, journalists in Baluchistan organized a protest calling for an investigation into Shakir’s murder. They also raised the issue of security for journalists, stating that 13 journalists have lost their lives in Baluchistan in the last five years alone.

Three days earlier, on 11 August, a journalist with Urdu daily Ausaf, Rehmatullah Daparkhel, was abducted by unknown persons from Miramshah in  North Waziristan. According to local news sources, the journalist had reportedly refused to work with the foreign media due to the dangers associated with journalistic assignments in the militancy-hit tribal region. However, colleagues in the region told local news that he had not received any threats.

Darpakhel remains missing, two weeks after the abduction. The media community in North Waziristan remains troubled by similarities to the 2005 abduction of Hayatullah Khan, (also in North Waziristan), whose body was found six months later.

From Swat, IPI has received information from journalist Fayaz Zafar that he has been receiving threats, which he believes are related to a story he wrote. Zafar continues to fear for his life.

On 7 August, a Geo TV cameraman was allegedly attacked by security forces, also in Swat, sources told IPI.

Pakistan has a near-perfect record of impunity on crimes against journalists. According to Dawn newspaper, the results of an investigation into Hayatullah Khan’s murder have not been made public, six years after the fact.

According to IPI’s Death Watch, 45 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 2001. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, no one has been found guilty of the crimes.