Violence escalated this week against journalists in Pakistan with the deaths of one journalist in a bomb blast in Peshawar.

Asfandyar Abid Naveed, a journalist with Akhbar-e-Khyber, was killed in the blasts, which occurred on Saturday at a market in the capital of the Khyber Pankhtunkhwa region of Pakistan.

Two smaller blasts, one at a restaurant near the market and the other in a building adjacent to it, drew people to the site, including journalists who were there to cover the event. A second, more powerful blast then rocked the market, killing at least 34 people, and wounding over 100.

Safiullah, the Peshawar bureau chief of Duniya TV, as well as two journalists from the News, were treated for minor injuries following the blasts. They have all been released, according to Syed Bukhar Shah of the News. Threats were also received by a broadcaster located in the building where one of the blasts occurred, leading to speculation that the media may have been a target for the attacks.

Shafiullah Kahn, a trainee journalist with the News, is in critical conditions with extensive burns.

According to information received by IPI, a Taliban spokesperson claimed that the blast was targeted towards tribal elders who were in the area.

“According to IPI’s information, Pakistan was the world’s most dangerous country for journalists in 2010, and with four journalists killed so far this year, the situation does not appear to be getting better”, said Alison Bethel McKenzie, IPI Director. “We offer our condolences to the families of the journalists killed, and call on media organizations to ensure greater safety for their employees.”

IPI research indicates a spike in press freedom violations worldwide as a total of seven journalists have died in the last 10 days. Apart from Pakistan, reporters have also been killed in Mexico, El Salvador, India and the Philippines as a result of their profession. Two of them were brutally shot and one was stabbed to death.

IPI has received information that journalist Ayaz Khan, editor-in-chief of a weekly newspaper, was shot on Sunday afternoon in North Karachi, Pakistan, and died on the way to the hospital. IPI urges the authorities to launch a full and transparent investigation into the death.