Journalist gunned down in Haripur for reporting on drugs

HARIPUR: Local journalist Sohail Khan was gunned down in Haripur on Tuesday October 16,2018 just as he was returning home after submitting a written application to the district police officer over the threats he had from drug peddlers in the area.
Sohail, who worked for the local K2 newspaper and television channel had reported about narcotics being sold in the area. After his story was published, he started receiving threats.
On Tuesday, he decided to tell the police about it and travelled to the office of the Haripur District Police Officer (DPO) Mansoor Aman.
There, he submitted a written application about the threats he was receiving.
He then headed back to his house on Hattar Road. As he neared his home, armed assailants lying in wait opened fire at him, killing him. The attackers then fled.
Upon being informed of the incident, the Haripur police rushed to the spot and took Sohail’s body into custody and sent it to the hospital for post-mortem. After the formalities were completed his body was handed over to his family for his funeral.
On the complaint of the journalist’s mother, a report was lodged with the police against unidentified attackers.
As news of his murder spread, local journalists gathered outside the local press club to protest the rising incidents of violence against journalists.According to RMNP and local news, members of the drug mafia killed Sohail in retaliation for his reporting.
He is the sixth journalist killed in Pakistan this year.
RMNP has joined hands with the local union of journalists andstrongly condemned the brutal murder and demanded the government to arrest the killers and put them behind bars. The RMNP also expressed concerns over the difficult working conditions for the workingjournalists in both rural and urban Pakistan.”
Both RMNP and NPU are following up on the case and expressed condolences with Sohail Khan’s family.
Source:RMNP/NPU/News