On 27 April 1996, Zafar Iqbal, the executive editor of the Urdu- language weekly “Nawai Banker”, was killed by two men as he was driving away from the newspaper’s office. The men, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, opened fire on Iqbal, hitting him twice in the neck. He died instantly. On 28 April, at least four […]
On 27 April 1996, Zafar Iqbal, the executive editor of the Urdu-
language weekly “Nawai Banker”, was killed by two men as he was
driving away from the newspaper’s office. The men, armed with
Kalashnikov rifles, opened fire on Iqbal, hitting him twice in
the neck. He died instantly.
On 28 April, at least four journalists were wounded during a
protest in Dokri, Sindh province, against the detention of
journalist Monis Bokhari, who was apprehended on 11 February (see
IFEX alert dated 19 February 1996). Ramzan Junejo of “Kawish”,
Asghar Mangreo of “Sindh”, president of the Dokri Press Club Babu
Ghulam Sarwar Siyal, general secretary Qazi Abdul Wahab, and
press secretary Ahmed Ali Soomro were seriously injured in the
attack and had to be taken to hospital. The condition of Ramzan
Junejo was described as “extremely serious.” The attack took
place in the presence of the police.
On 24 April, a group of about 10 armed men attacked the office of
the daily “Mashriq” in Quetta, Baluchistan province. They
assaulted the staff and caused serious damage to the newspaper’s
office equipment. The attack was reportedly politically
motivated.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
and punish those responsible for his murder
journalists are not harassed for expressing critical opinions of
either government policies or officials
Appeals To
Her Excellency Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Office of the Prime Minister
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 821 574 or via Ministry of Education +92 51 825 835
His Excellency President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari
Office of the President
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 811 390/+92 51 816 060 69
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
