By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: Unknown armed men in an assassination attempt killed president of Mehsud Jawanan Ittehad, while tribal journalist Atish Mehsud sustained serious injuries, sources said on Saturday.
The sources said the incident took place in Upper South Waziristan at the Khisura Tanga area. As a result, journalist Atish Mehsud was also seriously injured and immediately provided medical aid and later transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana.
Tribal Union of Journalists, central president, Hasbanullah, condemned the attack, highlighting the extreme risks faced by journalists in the tribal districts. He said threats to journalists in the former FATA region were on the rise, where dozens of tribal journalists have already lost their lives to similar attacks.
No perpetrators or any militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Journalists across merged districts criticized law enforcement agencies, stating that despite the presence of thousands of security personnel in the region, unknown elements have effectively established a parallel authority, intimidating, harassing and killing tribal journalists.
Hasbanullah urged the government to immediately arrest those responsible for the attack on Atish Mehsud and ensure justice. He said recently, senior journalist Khalil Jibran was martyred in Landikotal while other local journalists were being threatened for their journalistic work, forcing them to flee from their hometown, risking their lives for the sake of peace, democracy and development.
