Waziristan, a hotspot and deadliest place for journalists to report news, several journalists risked and lost their lives in target killings, suicide blasts, and kidnappings while reporting on militancy, human rights abuses and atrocities going on in the tribal belt.Â
As militancy takes hold once again in the tribal areas, journalists face a restricted and threatened environment. Journalists, activists, and political candidates are regularly targeted.
On Tuesday – 21 May 2024, Kamran Dawar a young digital journalist from Tapi village Miranshah tehsil, north Waziristan was shot dead by unknown armed motorcyclist in front of his house.
Kamran Dawar was a well-known digital journalist from Waziristan who ran a famous Facebook page called Waziristan TV, reporting on different social issues in north Waziristan. The Dawar page has around 148k followers.
As per local media, he received death threats from unidentified individuals for months, and he also informed his friends and local press club members about the death’s threats, but nothing was done for his safety. Apart from journalism, Dawar was actively involved in social work locally.
Remember, Tapi village, Miranshah tehsil, is the same region where several politicians and election candidates have been killed and targeted recently. Ex-MNA Mohsin Dawar was attacked during the election campaign, which he miraculously survived. In the same village, Jamaat-e-Islami-affiliated Rahman Ullah was gunning down my unknown assailant.Â
Read More: Attack on Mohsin Dawar vehicle in North Waziristan Miranshah
The Dawar killing received condemnation from media unions, journalists, and human rights activists. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned the killing of journalist Kamran Dawar and demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the violence against journalists. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), a local union of journalists, also condemned the killing of the journalist and demanded justice and an immediate investigation into the matter.
“Journalists and media workers in Pakistan have a constitutional right to freedom of expression, however this is undermined by targeted attacks, assaults, and killings. Authorities must ensure that the media is free to work without fear of retribution and ensure that these killings are subject to an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation.”
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary
Reporter without border RSF also condemned the unjust killing of Kamran Dawar and urged the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
According to Committee to protect journalist CPJ figures, 99 journalists were just killed in 2023 a highest since 2015, CPJ further reveal that around 320 journalists were imprisoned worldwide.
As per a report this year (2024), six journalists have been killed in Pakistan, and Pakistan was ranked 152 out of 180 countries in the RSF Press Freedom Index.
It is reported that since the war on terror, several journalists have been shot dead, kidnapped, enforced disappeared, arbitrary arrested, and physically intimidated by state and non-state actors but it is the courage and resilience of these journalists from the tribal belt who tried their best to report on the unreported issues of the region under challenging circumstances and lost their lives.
If the perpetrators of such target killing are not brought to justice, it can potentially intimidate other young journalists from the tribal region to impose self-censorship while doing reporting on sensitive topics like militancy and human right abuses.
Further nowadays, where journalists work independently on social media, such target killings can create a culture of fear, which can make it difficult for journalists to report safely and independently.