Kamran Dawar
North Waziristan/Geneva: Pakistan continues to lose journalists to assailants and the latest victim is Kamran Dawar, a digital journalist who was gunned down in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on May 21, 2024.
According to the police, Kamran, a digital journalist based in the Miramshah locality of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was shot dead by miscreants in his native Tappi village.
35-year-old Kamran faced the bullets in his native Tappi village and the gunmen left him with serious injuries. Father of two minor daughters, Kamran succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Three months ago, Kamran received threatening calls from unidentified personnel and he even shared it with journalist friends.
“We condemn the murder of Kamran Dawar, who becomes the 48th journo-victim since 1 January 2024 around the world and fifth in Pakistan. Pakistan government must probe into the killings of all journalists and punish the culprits so that they cannot enjoy the immunity,” said Blaise Lempen, president of the global media safety and rights body Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), adding that PEC extends moral support to the local scribe’s body Miranshah Press Club in its fight for justice to the victim.
Expressing utter dismay over the third media person to be killed in Pakistan within this month, PEC urged the federal government in Islamabad to take serious note of the development and book all the culprits under the law as early as possible.
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria revealed that Kamran was very active on social media and regularly reported on pertinent social issues of his locality through his YouTube channel and Facebook news channel.
Before Kamran, the South Asian nation lost journalists Mehar Ashfaq Siyal, Maulana Mohammad Siddique Mengal, Jam Saghir Ahmed Lar and Tahira Nosheen Rana to assailants this year, he added.
– global bihari bureau
