by Nava Thakuria
Geneva: The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights body, has demanded justice for Karachi-based Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Mir, who died on Monday from injuries sustained in a shooting in the Malir area.
Imtiaz, 40, who hosted the television program Aaj Ki Baat With Imtiaz Mir on Metro 1 News, was attacked by a group of gunmen on 21 September. He was admitted to Karachi’s Liaquat National Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of 29 September.
“Since Imtiaz Mir hosted television shows covering socio-political issues of the trouble-torn South Asian nation and earned enmity from anti-social elements, it is the primary responsibility of the authorities to identify the culprits and punish them under the law. Sindh province chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah should take a special interest in ensuring a speedy investigation into his untimely death,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC (www.pressemblem.ch).
PEC’s South Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that Imtiaz was the 135th media worker killed so far in 2025 across the globe. In Pakistan alone, three journalists — AD Shar (Hum News), Abdul Latif (Daily Intekhab), and Syed Mohammed Shah (Ab-Tak TV) — have been killed since 1 January this year.
In 2024, Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country with a population of 241 million, witnessed the murder of 12 media workers. In most of those cases, perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity due to dysfunctional government mechanisms.
