Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expressed its concern over the killing of senior Pakistan television scribe Imtiaz Baig by unidentified gunmen in the Jhelum locality of Punjab province.
Baig, who worked for the private news channel Samaa TV, faced the brutal attack on 4 May 2023 as he came out of a local mosque after the prayer.
He was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries on his face and head, where he succumbed to injuries. Confirming that Baig was killed in the assassination attempt, the police forces had begun the probe to identify the culprits and also unearth the motive behind the attack. Baig left behind wife, two sons and a daughter along with a host of relatives and well-wishers.
“Journalism is not a crime, and the media workers must not be targeted for their profession. Imtiaz Baig becomes the first journalist to be assassinated this year in Pakistan and 17th media victim across the globe since 1 January 2023. PEC demands a high-level probe into the incident that led to Baig’s murder and punish the criminals,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC.
PEC south Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that Pakistan lost journalists Sadaf Naeem, Arshad Sharif, Muhammad Younis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar and Athar Mateen last year. India witnessed the murder of four journalists (Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini, Juned Khan Pathan and Subhash Kumar Mahato) and Bangladesh three namely Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem and Abdul Bari, whereas Myanmar lost Aye Kyaw and Pu Tui Dim to military atrocities.
