(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is worried by the attempt on the life of a Pakistani journalist. According to RSF’s information, on 17 December 1998, Saeed Iqbal Hashmi, chief reporter of the Peshawar-based Urdu language daily “Mashriq”, escaped a murder attempt. Two unidentified armed persons barged into his house looking for the journalist. They fled from the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is worried by the attempt on the life of a Pakistani
journalist.
According to RSF’s information, on 17 December 1998, Saeed Iqbal Hashmi,
chief
reporter of the Peshawar-based Urdu language daily “Mashriq”, escaped a
murder attempt. Two unidentified armed persons barged into his house looking
for the journalist. They fled from the scene after the journalist’s father
and younger brother screamed and brandished a gun in order to intimidate
them. Half an hour after the incident, Hashmi received a phone call from a
man speaking in Pashto with an Afghan accent: “We did not want to kill the
innocent people in your house and that is why we did not open fire. We have
sworn on the Holy Koran to kill you. Whenever we get the chance we will kill
you for your enmity with the Islamic government of the Taliban.”
**Updates IFEX alert of 28 September 1998**
On 23 September, Hashmi had received death threats from a fundamentalist
religious party. A fatwa (religious decree) was also issued against him
saying that Muslim people would go to heaven if they killed the journalist.
Just after, he went into hiding for two weeks.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the Prime Minister:
attemps by the Taliban in the last three months (see IFEX alerts of 20
October and 13 October 1998)
asking him to use his influence to ensure that a thorough investigation is
launched in order to find those responsible for the threats
duties safely, especially when they write on the growing influence of the
Taliban in the region
Appeals To
His Excellency Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
Office of the Prime Minister
Islamabad, Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 920 5532
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
