According to a statement from the Saudabad police station last night, senior journalist Imtiaz Mir was shot and injured by unknown attackers in the Kala Board area of Malir district. The police statement described the attack as “seemingly targeted” and noted that a further investigation was underway.
In response, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the “murderous attack on senior journalist Imtiaz Mir,” according to a statement from his spokesperson, Abdur Rasheed Channa. The Chief Minister expressed deep regret over the incident and requested a report from Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon.
Saudabad Station House Officer (SHO) Atiqur Rehman informed Dawn.com that “the journalist is admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital.” He added that Mir had sustained two bullet wounds, one of which was to his mouth. “He was traveling in a car driven by his brother when armed pillion riders targeted him,” SHO Rehman stated.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar also condemned the attack in a statement released earlier today and ordered the immediate arrest of the perpetrators. He, too, sought a report from the East district’s deputy IG. Lanjar was quoted as saying, “The protection of journalists and media workers must be ensured at all costs.” He asserted that “the safety of citizens’ lives and property is the top priority of the government. The suspects should be brought to justice.” The police were also directed to reveal the motive behind the attack.
This incident is part of a series of attacks on journalists in Pakistan. In May of this year, police in Shikarpur claimed to have killed Sheroo Mahar, a notorious dacoit and the prime suspect in the murder of senior journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar, in a drone attack. Mahar, who worked for the Sindhi language news network KTN, was shot and killed by unknown assailants on August 14, 2024, after leaving his office in Sukkur.
In April, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressed concern over threats issued to journalists by supporters of a religious party. In the same month, Khairpur police claimed to have arrested five suspects in the murder case of journalist Allah Dino Shar, also known as A.D. Shar, who worked for an Urdu news channel. Shar was murdered a day earlier in Aliabad, sparking protests by his community at press clubs across the Khairpur district.
Last November, Nadeem Ahmed, a senior reporter for the 92 News TV channel, was shot and wounded in an armed attack in Karachi’s Karsaz area.
According to a report published earlier this month by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), 87 journalists were killed in Pakistan between 2006 and 2023, with only two of those cases “resolved.”
