Afghan television journalist shot dead, colleague seriously wounded in northwest Pakistan

Afghan TV journalist gunned down in NW Pakistan

JAMRUD, Pakistan — Gunmen shot dead an Afghan television journalist and severely wounded his colleague Monday in northwestern Pakistan.

Janullah Hashim Zada was gunned down as he traveled on a public minibus from Torkham on the Afghan border to the main northwestern city of Peshawar, said Khyber Agency official Omair Khan.

Zada’s colleague, Ali Khan, was seriously hurt with a gunshot wound to the neck.

Both men worked for Afghan-based Shamshad TV. Zada also provided material from time to time to other news organizations, including The Associated Press.

The driver of the minibus, Abbas Khan, said a white car forced his vehicle to stop after it passed near the town of Jamrud. Three gunmen inside then opened fire on the vehicle.

Zada’s brother, Najibullah, identified the body at a hospital, and said his brother had no enemies.

Journalists have been increasingly targeted in Pakistan, where Islamist militants are engaged in a bloody campaign of terror against the state. Lawless northwestern Pakistan, where al-Qaida and the Taliban hold sway, are particularly dangerous.

Watchdog groups saying the country is rivaling Iraq, Somalia and other conflict zones in terms of danger to the media.

Journalists say the culprits are both militants and government operatives, and that they appear determined to influence coverage.

According to a report by Pakistani media research group Intermedia, there were at least 103 cases of “intimidation or threats” against journalists from May 2008 through May 2009. According to its tally, at least 15 journalists were killed during that period.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said five journalists were killed in Pakistan last year, compared to 11 in Iraq.

Mazhar Abbas, until recently secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, said his group found roughly 45 journalists have been killed since 2001, the year Pakistan joined the U.S. in its fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida.