Gunmen shot dead an Afghan television journalist and severely wounded his colleague Monday in northwestern Pakistan. Janullah Hashim Zada was gunned down as he travelled on a public minibus from Torkham on the Afghan border to the main northwestern city of Peshawar, a Khyber Agency official told the Associated Press.
Zada's colleague, Ali Khan, was seriously hurt with a gunshot wound to the neck.Both men worked for Afghan-based Shamshad TV. Zada also provided material from time to time to other news organisations, including the Associated Press.
The driver of the minibus, Abbas Khan, said a white car forced his vehicle to stop after it passed near the town of Jamrud. Three gunmen inside then opened fire on the vehicle. Zada's brother, Najibullah, identified the body at a hospital, and said his brother had no enemies.
Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas have been beset by violence after hundreds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels sought refuge there following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. According to a report by Pakistani media research group Intermedia, there were 103 cases of "intimidation or threats" against journalists from May 2008 through May 2009. According to its tally, 15 journalists were killed during that period.
