IFJ joins local affiliate in condemning attacks, torture of two Pakistani journalists

Police personnel stand guard in front of news media vans parked outside a special court in Islamabad on August 21, 2023. (AFP/File)

• In July, Pakistan reported eighth journalist killing of 2024, poised to encounter its deadliest year for media practitioners
• Pakistan dropped to 152 of 180 countries in 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders

ISLAMABAD: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Tuesday it had joined the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning two recent attacks on journalists in the South Asian nation, urging provincial police authorities to thoroughly investigate the incidents.
Journalist Khursheed Rajput of Tando Adam was allegedly tortured by local police on August 9, while journalist Kashif Ghafoor Arain was attacked and robbed on August 11, in separate provinces across Pakistan. 
In July, Pakistan reported the killing of an eighth journalist in 2024 and is poised to encounter its deadliest year for media practitioners.
“Journalists must be free to operate without fear of retribution, and reports of police brutality against media workers are particularly concerning,” the IFJ said. “The IFJ condemns the attacks on Khursheed Rajput and Kashif Ghafoor Arain, and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate the incidents, and ensure that those responsible do not escape with impunity.”
PFUJ President GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem also expressed concerned over the incidents and said working journalists had been facing “different problems just for performing their professional duties.”
“We condemn torture and fake cases against working journalists and urge the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh to look into and take immediate notice of such incidents and provide justice and security to working journalists,” the PFUJ said. 
In its statement, IFJ said Rajput was reportedly tortured by local police in Sindh while in custody on August 9. He was arrested and charged with robbery and illegal possession of weapons, charges he says have been fabricated in retaliation for his investigative reporting on alleged misconduct by the local senior superintendent of police (SSP).
Rajput claims that the Station House Officer Police of Tando Adam had recorded indecent videos of the journalist while he was being attacked. Rajput, along with a friend, were brought to court by the police, who sought a remand. However, the civil magistrate denied the request and ordered that Rajput be sent to jail. 
Two days later, on August 11, journalist Kashif Ghafoor Arain was tortured and robbed by Waseem Gopang and other unknown assailants in the southern Punjabi city of Sadiqabad. The Sadiqabad City Police Station issued a report stating the attack took place outside a hair salon, where Arain was beaten with sticks and clubs, the IFJ said. The assailants allegedly took his mobile phone, Rs32,700 ($117) in cash, and his press card. The motive behind the attack is unknown.
Pakistan dropped two places to 152 of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders.
The index described the South Asian nation as “one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to cases of corruption or illegal trafficking and which go completely unpunished.”
The Freedom Network, an Islamabad-based advocate group for press freedom, said in a recent report that 53 journalists were killed in Pakistan from 2012 to 2022. The southern Sindh province had the highest number of fatalities, with 16 deaths, followed by the most populous Punjab province, with 14. It added that only two of the 53 cases had led to convictions, both of which were later overturned.