A local journalist, Malik Hassan Zaib, was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday.
According to police, the victim was traveling in a car with his brother, who managed to escape the attack. The journalist’s body was transported to a nearby hospital.
The paramilitary forces collected clues and various CCTV footage from the crime scene. The footage clearly shows attackers on a motorbike opening fire on the journalist’s car in the Akbarpura area, District Police Officer (DPO) Azhar Khan reported.
The slain journalist’s brother filed a first information report (FIR) of the incident, and police said three investigation teams have been formed to probe the case.
Journalists from across the country condemned Zaib’s killing. The Khyber Union of Journalists (KHUJ) demanded that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur take immediate action to arrest the perpetrators. KHUJ President Nasir Hussain noted that this was the third journalist assassination in two months.
The Peshawar Press Club (PPC) also expressed regret over the killing. PPC President Arshad Aziz Malik sought updates from the KP IG and DPO Nowshera. Speaking to the media, he said the top police officer of the province assured him of the swift arrest of Hassan Zaib’s killers.
“The inspector general said the PPC would be informed of any progress made in the investigation of the journalist’s murder case,” the PPC official said, adding that the IG has requested an initial report from the DPO Nowshera.