PFUJ condemns Dilawar Wazir’s disappearance | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

PFUJ condemns Dilawar Wazir’s disappearance

KARACHI :Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Tuesday strongly condemned mysterious disappearance of BBC and daily Dawn correspondent in Wana, Dilawar Wazir and suspected the role of agencies in it and expressed deep concern about his life.Wazir’s incident appeared to be the follow-up of series of illegal detention of journalists by agencies like Mukesh Rupeta, Sanjay Kumar, Saeed Sarbazi and Mehruddin Mari, PFUJ said in a press statement.Silence of the authorities and failure of judiciary in taking suo-moto action on these incidents resulted in yet another incident, it said. It appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take a suo moto action in the light of the detention of other journalists and brutal murder of Hayatullah Khan followed by murder of his brother, killing of Wazir’s brother followed by his disappearance in the most mysterious circumstances.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also voiced its deep over the situation. This is a very worrying situation, and the IFJ demands an immediate investigation into Khan’s disappearance to ensure he is returned unharmed, IFJ President Christopher Warren said, in a statement sent to PFUJ.The circumstances certainly indicate Khan may have been kidnapped, and we have grave concerns for his safety, given Pakistan’s frightening history of kidnappings, tortures and murders, Warren said. Khan’s disappearance comes after a string of brutal attacks and threats targeting Khan, his family and his colleagues in recent years, which have forced Khan to move to Dera Ismail Khan.

Wazir has been under life threat for the last two years for his bold reporting on the happenings in the tribal areas. His house once been attacked, his brother killed by unknown assailant while he himself shifted from his home town few months and was staying in Dera Ismail Khan. He also reported and interviewed people on recent attack on a Madrassa in Bajour, in which 83 people were killed. PFUJ in the past had warned the authorities about the threats to Wazir and demanded his security. “However, the government not only failed to arrest the people responsible for the murder of his brother, but did not took any security measures.”

PFUJ further said that on number of occasions it warned the government about the deteriorating situation for the tribal journalists, particularly after the kidnapping and brutal murder of Hayatullah Khan. PFUJ accused the government for deliberately hiding the facts about Khan’s murder and regretted its failure to make the Judicial report public. It called upon the entire journalist community in Pakistan and abroad, as well as, human rights organizations to protest against the disappearance of Wazir and try to save his life. It said that government’s claim of freedom of the Press has now been fully exposed with series of violence incidents, murder of Journalists, ban on Sindh TV, pressure and threats to print and electronic media and illegal detention of journalists at the hands of agencies.
Source: Nation
Date:11/22/2006