• After Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 250 journalists, Pakistan is among top 3 countries that recorded highest numbers of deaths in recent years

KARACHI, Pakistan

Gunmen killed a journalist in southern Pakistan on Wednesday, bringing the total number of media workers killed in Pakistan this year to five.

Tufail Rind was shot dead by armed men in Mirpur Mathelo town in southern Sindh province, according to police, making him the second journalist killed in the last two weeks.

According to local police, two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Rind, who worked for Royal TV and the Mehran newspaper. However, preliminary evidence suggests that he was murdered due to personal animosity, police said, adding that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the killing.

Imtiaz Mir, a local TV host and journalist, was gunned down in Karachi late last month.

According to Freedom Network Pakistan, which monitors attacks on journalists and freedom of the press, at least 16 journalists have been killed in Pakistan over the past two years.

Last year, seven journalists were killed in the South Asian country, whereas four reporters lost their lives in 2023.

From 2000 to 2025, some 155 journalists and media workers, including Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, have been assassinated across Pakistan.

While Gaza remains the toughest place for journalists over the past two years, where Israeli forces have killed nearly 250 journalists, "Pakistan is among the top three countries, together with Sudan and Myanmar, which recorded the highest numbers of deaths in recent years," according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Iqbal Khattak, the executive director of Freedom Network, told Anadolu that his network follows the cases of only those journalists who are killed in the line of duty.

This year, he added, there is confirmation of only one case, in which a journalist has been targeted in connection with his work. However, the remaining three cases are under investigation.

Many journalists, especially in the small cities, have been killed not because of their work but because of personal enmity, land disputes, and other issues.

Endorsing the view, Sana Ali, the director of the Pakistan Press Foundation, which monitors press freedom in the country, said that her organization has documented six confirmed murders and killings of journalists in connection with their work since 2020.

The remaining journalists were killed for reasons other than their work-related reasons, she added.

According to Khattak, poor prosecution and a cumbersome judicial system often let the accused involved in attacks and killing of journalists go scot-free.

Pakistan’s media industry, once regarded as one of the most vibrant in South Asia, is shrinking at a rapid pace, with thousands of journalists and workers being laid off and several outlets shutting down in recent years.

The country’s ailing economy, coupled with the withdrawal of government subsidies and dwindling advertising revenue, has forced even big and stable media groups to shutter their publications and lay off journalists.