Journalists march in Quetta to mourn colleagues‏ killed

QUETTA: Journalists marched on the roads of Quetta on Sunday evening to mourn the killing of colleagues.

Journalists took out a rally from Quetta Press Club which turned into a protest demonstration at Governor’s House Chowk after passing through different roads of the city.

The protestors demanded the arrest of those involved in the killing of three journalists in the province on Thursday and lashed out at law enforcement for their failure to stop the targeted killings of newsmen.

“We will intensify our protest if our colleagues’ murderers are not apprehended,” Irfan Saeed, the President Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) told the protesting media men.

Irshad Mastoi, the Bureau Chief of Online news agency, Abdul Rasool Khajjak, reporter of the agency and accountant Muhammad Younas were killed by armed militants on Thursday.

Armed men had barged into the agency’s office and killed all three newsmen in Kabir Building area of Jinnah road Quetta. The incident sparked severe criticism of law enforcement agencies in the provincial capital.

Members of Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) and Quetta Press Club were wearing black arm-bands to mourn the killing of three colleagues.

They chanted full-throated slogans i.e. “Protect journalists”, “Long live Freedom of Expression”, “Salute to the martyrs of journalism”, etc during the protest demonstration.

The journalists later decided to boycott all government functions in protest over the journalists killing.

“We can go to any extent in pursuit of justice,” Shehzada Zulfiqar, a senior journalist told Dawn.com. “This impunity is a major contributing factor in the killing of journalists,” Zulfiqar stated.

The BUJ and QPC members decided to intensity their protest movement in future to press the authorities to arrest the killers.

Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr. Malik Baloch, Information Minister Rahim Ziaratwal visited QPC and offered fateha for the departed souls.

Dr. Baloch assured the journalist’s community that the culprits behind the killing would be apprehended.

Meanwhile on Saturday, journalists had staged a walk out from Balochistan Assembly session.

Their full-throated slogans could not draw the attention of legislators who preferred not to console with protesting media men outside the Assembly building.

“We boycotted the session as part of ongoing protest,” Abdul Khaliq Baloch, the Secretary General Quetta Press Club told Dawn.com.

“Here our protest falls on deaf ears,” Khaliq Baloch said, adding that it was ironic that no legislator came out to speak to the protesting journalists.