PFUJ, APNEC concerned over rising violence against Journalists
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC), the two apex bodies of the newspapers employees expressed concern over the rising incidents of violence against journalists and attack on their families, the latest were the brutal murder of the senior correspondent of daily Jang, Mirpurkhas Zubair Ahmed Mujhaid and the widow of the slain Journalists Hayatullah Khan.
The two bodies passed number of resolutions in their three days meeting in Islamabad, including violence against journalists, release of lawyers and political workers, independence of judiciery, lifting of emergency and withdrawal of PCO, end of to operation in Baluhistan, rocketing price hike in the country, implementation of the 7th Wage Award, dismissal of Jang Union leaders in Quetta etc.
Strongly condemning the brutal murder of Zubair Ahmed Mujahid, it said in a resolution the murder of Mujahid, add to list of 24 journalists killed in Pakistan since 2000. He was gunned down by unknown assailant while he was going with his friend on a motor-cycle in Mirpurkhas. Mdedicated had wrote number of investigative diaries and reports during his association with Jang. Police have so far failed to arrest his killers even after a week, which is most condemnable.
Days before the murder of Mujahid, the widow of the tribal journalist Hayatullah Khan was killed in a blast in her house. She was the third in the family killed since the murder of Khan in a year time. Earlier, his brother was also killed by unknown persons. Following the murder of three members of the family, the life of the five children of Hayatullah are in danger, PFUJ and APNEC said in a resolution. “One the one hand government failed to publish the inquiry report on the murder of Hayatullah even after one year, and on the other failed to protect his family as a result his wife and brother were also killed. It clearly showed the hidden hand in the murder of all the three,” it said.