Journalist Mian Zahid Owaisi brutally attacked for his reports on local drug trafficking:RSF

Paris: Journalist Mian Zahid Owaisi, who had published articles in the newspaper Daily Khabrain on local drug trafficking in the Bahawalpur district of southern Punjab, was the victim of a violent attack on June 7. According to his statement to the police, he was targeted because of his reporting. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for a thorough investigation into this appalling targeted attack and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

Surrounded and beaten with sticks. On 7 June 2026, around ten armed individuals attacked Mian Zahid Owaisi, a journalist from the Urdu-language media outlet Daily Khabrain, in broad daylight at a restaurant in the city of Bahawalpur, east Pakistan. The attack was captured on CCTV. The reporter sustained multiple injuries and remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Police have registered a complaint against the suspects and have already arrested three of them. In his statement to the police from his hospital bed, the journalist said the assault was linked to his recent articles on local drug trafficking. He also accused influential local politicians of shielding the alleged perpetrators.

Célia Mercier
Head of RSF’s South Asia desk