Two more journalists killed in Pakistan bombing

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on the Pakistan media to review security and journalist safety training after two more journalists died and five were injured in a double bombing in Peshawar on Saturday night which killed 36 people.

The CPJ says a first small blast at the Khyber Super Market drew a crowd, including journalists covering the story. The second larger blast, apparently a suicide bomb, went off after the crowd had grown.

This follows closely on the May 10 bombing death of journalist Nasrullah Afridi, who died when his car blew up in an explosion at the same market. The two journalists killed were Asfandyar Khan, who worked with different media organisations and had recently joined Akhbar-e-Khyber, and Shafiullah Khan, a young graduate, who had recently joined The News International as a reporter-in-training.

"Pakistan was the deadliest country for journalists last year and now it looks like it may be again this year, with at least five killed so far," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator. "The government is unable to protect journalists from attacks. Therefore, media owners, managers, and journalists in the field must quickly unite and together work hard on establishing and ensuring their security."

• MediaGuardian yesterday ran an article about the killing of Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistani investigative reporter. It was headlined 'Journalism's deadliest beat' and said 16 journalists have died in Pakistan in the past 18 months.
  

Pakistan: 13 journalists murdered in 13 months

Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders reports that 13 journalists have been killed in the past 13 months in Pakistan.

RWB says: "With its tribal northwest, its border with Afghanistan, its tension with India and its chaotic political history, Pakistan is one of the world’s most complex nations and its journalists confront a daunting array of problems that include terrorist threats, police violence, the unbridled power of local potentates and dangerous conflicts in the Tribal Areas."

It adds: "The Pakistani media are still young and often inexperienced. Due to a lack of resources and ignorance of protective mechanisms, news media often send their reporters out on the most dangerous assignments without any kind of safety net. At the same time, the authorities have little consideration for a profession that keeps on raising awkward issues.

"Inadequate laws and a shaky constitution mean that media freedom is not yet fully recognized. Not to speak of all the subjects that are very dangerous to cover. It is easy to sue journalists over what they report and easier still to force them to shut up."

• RWB has an interactive graphic with details of the journalists who have been killed and four interviews with Pakistani journalists about the difficulties they face and the battle to establish professional journalism in Pakistan.