Pakistani journalist for the Pashtun television channel Khyber News, Khalil Jibran, was shot dead on June 18 in the Khyber district, in the northwest of the country. An experienced journalist in his fifties, he leaves behind a wife and six children.
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The journalist of the Khyber News television channel, Khalil Jibran, who was covering the insurgency of armed Taliban groups, was killed in an ambush on the evening of June 18, in the town of Landi Kotal, in the Khyber district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering theAfghanistan. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the journalist was returning home by car when armed men shot him with 19 bullets after forcing him out of the vehicle. According to his colleagues, the journalist had reported threats he had received from the Taliban because of his affiliation with the Khyber News television channel.
Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the killing. He took note of the tragedy and asked the police to take immediate action to arrest those involved. Gandapur also expressed condolences to the family and that the killers would not escape the law.
“ The assassination of this journalist reveals the climate of extreme insecurity in which information professionals must operate, particularly in tribal regionsreacted Célia Mercier, head of the South Asia desk at RSF. THE Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and the almost systematic impunity for crimes committed against them is overwhelming. RSF calls on the authorities to conduct a diligent investigation and bring to justice the perpetrators of the assassination of Khalil Jibran as quickly as possible. Urgent measures must be taken by the government to protect journalists, especially those who have reported threats to their lives. »
Demonstration to condemn the murder
On June 19, before his burial, outraged journalists protested against the murder of their colleague in Jamrod, in the Khyber district, in which political and civil activists also participated. Protesters accused law enforcement of not launching a search operation soon after the incident, despite reports of the presence of a group of activists in the Mazreena area. They issued a three-day ultimatum for the arrest of the perpetrators and demanded financial aid of ten million rupees (€111,000) for Khalil Jibran’s family, as well as free education for his children.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemned the murder of their colleague. She calls on the government to arrest the assassins and ensure the protection of journalists. In a joint statement issued on June 19, PFUJ President Afzal Butt, General Secretary Arshad Ansari and Finance Secretary Lala Assad Pathan said that despite threats received, no protection had been provided to the seasoned journalist.
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