Pakistan: local reporter victim of targeted attack
Event- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Oct 10, 2021
- Event Description
Shahid Zehri, a reporter for a local TV news channel Metro News 1 was killed on October 10 when a bomb exploded in his car in the Hub area of Balochistan province. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Pakistan affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), urge the Pakistan government to ensure those involved in the attack are promptly brought to justice.
Journalist Zehri, 35, and friend, were travelling to Karachi by car when a bomb detonated around midnight on October 10. Both suffered critical injuries. CCTV footage confirms the bomb was attached to the journalist’s car where it exploded. Some reports suggested it was a homemade device.
The injured journalist and friend were initially taken to Hub Civil Hospital then subsequently brought to Karachi for treatment. The journalist, Zehri, was declared dead at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital in Karachi.
Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility of the attack. The group also claimed that the journalist was spying on them. IFJ understands Zehri was a strong voice for the Hub Chowki, often reported on unrest in the region. Pakistan’s Baluchistan province has not enacted any legislation protecting journalists.
According to the IFJ’s South Asia Press Freedom Report 2020-2021, nine journalists were murdered in Pakistan in 2020-2021.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Killing
- Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Extremist group
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 25.025668749203845
Longitude: 66.88429531940822
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 10 October 2021, Shahid Zehri, local media reporter covering the unrest in the region, was killed in a targeted attack by the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) in Hub, Pakistan.