The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joints its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning the twin bomb attack near a religious shrine in Karachi, which killed four people and injured several others, including journalists, who had gathered at the spot to report on the first of the blasts.
The PFUJ reports that Saqib Khan, a photojournalist with the Urdu newspaper Ummat, was among those injured in the incident on November 22. He was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment for what appeared to be symptoms of shock, but suffered a cardiac arrest en route and died.
Kiran Khan, a reporter with Dunya News and Umar Khan a technician with the same channel were also injured in the second blast, though not seriously.
The IFJ joins the PFUJ in once again underlining the need for special safety precautions by media professionals in the light of this incident.
Amin Yousaf, Secretary-General of the PFUJ, has pointed out that safety training for journalists should focus on the whole range of insurgent and extremist strategies and seek to impart the skills and knowledge to counteract all these.
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