The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned the recent killings of journalists in Pakistan, India and Syria and reiterated its deep concern over the disappearance of three journalists in Syria, who have been missing for several weeks.

In Pakistan, Abdul Haq Baloch, 37, correspondent for ARY News television station and Secretary of the Khuzdar Press Club, was gunned down by unidentified armed men on Sep. 29 when he was on his way home in the town of Khuzdar in the militancy plagued Balochistan province, according to the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and other sources. Unidentified masked armed men, riding a motorbike, sprayed a volley of bullets at Abdul Haq Baloch and fled the scene. Abdul Haq died on the spot, news reports said. Officials said the motive for the killing had not been ascertained. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan’s top media watchdogs, Media Commission-Pakistan and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), condemned the killing and demanded an inquiry into the incident.

Their representatives said the situation in Balochistan, especially in Khuzdar, was deplorable and that unarmed journalists were being targeted with impunity.

At least three other journalists have been killed in Pakistan this year, most probably in connection with their work, two of them in Balochistan, according to IPI research.

“Pakistan remains one of the deadliest countries for journalists,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills, “IPI condemns the murder of Abdul Haq Baloch and expresses its condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. IPI welcomes the announcement of the Interior Minister Rehman Malik that a judicial commission will investigate the killing. We urge the authorities to conduct a full investigation into the killing and bring those responsible to justice.” According to news reports, the interior minister also announced a Rs2.5 million (€20,350) reward for those persons who will provide information about the killers of the journalist.

In a separate incident, in India, Chaitali Santra, 40, a freelance journalist with the Delhi-based weekly Julm se Jung and an active member of the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR), was killed by a parcel bomb as she tried to open a parcel received through a courier agency at her residence in Howrah on Sep. 26. She reportedly helped people who were in distress and used to cover crime-based incidents. Relatives said she could have been targeted by someone she had hurt with her reporting. Her daughter told the reporters she received two or three threatening calls this month.

Condemning the murder, IPI recalled the terms of the Resolution on Safety of Journalists adopted by consensus by the UN Human Rights Council in September this year, which “calls upon States to ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy and effective investigations into such acts falling within their jurisdiction, and to bring to justice those responsible”.

In Syria, according to the Syrian Journalists Association, a media activist and a journalist lost their lives over the past few days. The Association reports that Yusuf al-Aqraa, a media activist of al-Farouq Battalions Press Office in the Free Syrian Army, was killed while filming a battle in the al-Soultaniya neighborhood, in Hom on Sep. 27.

The Association further reported that Mohammed Fayyad al-Askar, a citizen journalist, was shot on the ground by al-Assad forces in Deir ez-Zor on Sept. 28. Al-Askar was an activist in the Deir al-Zour News Network, and Free Deir ez-Zor Radio.

IPI reiterates its concerns over the three journalists who have been missing for weeks in Syria: Al Hurra journalists Cüneyt Ünal and Bashar Fahmi, and American freelancer Austin Tice. They are all believed to be in the custody of the Syrian authorities.

“Far too many journalists and media activists have lost their lives in this conflict,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills. “We urge those fighting on all sides to respect the right of journalists to work without fear of attack or reprisal.”