The International

Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists

(PFUJ) in demanding authorities in Pakistan

take swift action to locate and safely recover a senior tribal journalist who

was abducted in North Waziristan on August 11.

Rehmatullah Dawar, who works with

AAJ TV and the Urdu daily Ausaf, was

abducted at a bazaar in Miranshah, the capital of the militancy-gripped agency

in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), by unidentified men

travelling in two cars with tinted windows.

The men fired shots in the air to

keep people away as they bundled Dawar into one of the cars, according to

reports.

The motivation for the abduction is unclear,

and no one had claimed responsibility.

However, Ahmadullah Ahmadi, the

spokesman for Haji Gul Bahader, the most powerful militant commander in North Waziristan, condemned the abduction and said the local

Taliban would assist to locate Dawar, according to the Tribal Union of

Journalists (TUJ).

“The IFJ calls on the Government of

Pakistan to direct its authorities not to delay in investigating the abduction

of Rehmatullah Dawar and to recover him safely,” IFJ

Asia-Pacific said.

“We remind the Government of the

failure of its authorities to take appropriate action in the case of Hayatullah

Khan, who was similarly abducted in 2005. We urge that a similar failure not be

permitted again.”

The abduction of Dawar, who comes from Darparkhel village, reportedly

has similarities with the case of Khan, who also worked with Ausaf and was abducted in North Waziristan in December 2005. His handcuffed body

was found with several gunshot wounds six months later.

An investigation into Khan’s murder,

conducted by Peshawar High Court Judge Mohammed Reza Khan, has never been made

public, despite repeated calls from the PFUJ and international media support

groups.

North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, is in the grip of an armed conflict

between Pakistan

security forces and militant groups believed to be associated with Al-Qaeda.

The area is subject to regular strikes by US drones targeting suspected

militants.

For further

information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific

on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ

represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

Find the

IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

Find the

IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific