Pakistan Faces Deadliest Year for Journalists

Pakistan witnessed the killing of its eighth journalist in 2024, Malik Hassan Zaib, raising concerns about the country’s free press environment, VOA reported in an article yesterday.

According to the source, Zaib, a reporter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was shot by unidentified gunmen.

This makes 2024 Pakistan’s deadliest year for journalists, with international media rights groups urging authorities to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. The killings are creating fear and impunity, with some reports suggesting the violence is linked to critical reporting.

Pakistan dropped two places to 152 of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders.