Senior journalist shot dead in Pakistan

Islamabad: A senior Pakistani journalist was shot dead on Friday by unidentified gunmen in the restive Balochistan province, becoming the second reporter to be killed in the country within a week. Gunmen riding a motorcycle fired at Mehmood Jan Afridi in Bus Addah area of Kalat town this evening, Deputy Commissioner Bashir Ahmed Bazai told the media. [caption id=“attachment_645633” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Photo for representation purpose only. AFP[/caption] The attackers escaped before security personnel reached the spot. Bazai described the attack as an incident of ’targeted killing’. No group claimed responsibility for the incident. Afridi had been a journalist for two decades and was working for the Daily Intekhab. On Wednesday, journalist Malik Mumtaz was shot dead by unidentified armed men in Miranshah, the main town of the lawless North Waziristan tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. Mumtaz worked for The News daily and Geo News channel. No group has claimed responsibility for his killing. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan condemned the murder of Mumtaz and described him as a “good reporter” who was serving the tribal people. Pakistani and international journalists’ groups, including the South Asian Free Media Association, South Asia Media Commission and Media Commission Pakistan, condemned the killing of Mumtaz. PTI