IFJ Condemns Attack on Brother of Slain Journalist

 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns an attack on a senior journalist in Pakistan, Kamal Azfar, whose brother - also a journalist - was murdered last week.

 

According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, Azfar’s car came under fire in his hometown of Kohat, in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), on February 1.

 

Azfar did not suffer serious harm, but his car was badly damaged. The attackers reportedly fled from the scene.

 

Azfar’s brother, Amir Wakil, who worked for a local television station and newspaper, was murdered in Rawalpindi on January 24.

 

Azfar, who is also a member of the PFUJ’s executive council, subsequently received several threats warning him against pursuing investigations into the murder. Azfar had named two individuals as suspects in the murder of his brother, but no arrests have been made.

 

“The IFJ fully endorses the PFUJ’s demand that the authorities fully investigate the murder of Amir Wakil and the attack on Kamal Azfar,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

 

“Pakistan’s Federal Secretary of the Interior, Syed Kamal Shah, must make good on the promise that he would investigate Wakil’s murder swiftly and purposively. The IFJ also urges the authorities to ensure Azfar’s protection.”

 

The IFJ is particularly concerned that there be an investigation into the possible links between these attacks and the professional work of the two individuals as journalists.

 

Journalist and Union Leader Mourned

 

The IFJ also joins the PFUJ in mourning the death of Roman Ahsan, a senior journalist and a former president of the Punjab Union of Journalists, a constituent unit of the PFUJ.

 

Roman Ahsan was a journalist with great professional commitment and a consistent defender of press freedom.