International press body calls on Pakistan to investigate media murders

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Thursday called on the government of Pakistan to set up an independent task force to investigate the increasing number of attacks that are wreaking havoc on the countryآ’s media community. As World Press Freedom Day approaches, the IFJ in a statement urged the Pakistani government to bring an end to impunity for violence against journalists and to ensure that those perpetrators of these acts answer for their crimes and face the full weight of justice. "There has been a horrifying spike in attacks on journalists and news outlets in Pakistan in 2014. "It is time for the government of Pakistan to heed the calls of Pakistani journalists and the international community and introduce meaningful changes that will make journalists safer and ensure death threats and attacks are thoroughly investigated and their perpetrators brought to justice," said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. "An independent task force that will conduct detailed investigations into the attacks must be formed now. The government of Pakistan must act quickly or more journalists will die in what has become a desperate and unbearable situation," he said. Pakistan remains among the most deadly countries in the world for journalists. According to IFJ, in 2013 ten journalists were killed there, making it Asiaآ’s deadliest country for journalists and the third deadliest country in the world. This year seven journalists have already lost their lives. The Brussels-based IFJ represents more than 600 000 journalists in 134 countries