Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Journalist Killed While Covering Pakistan-Taliban Peace Deal

Mosa Khankhel, a correspondent with GEO TV's Peshawar bureau became the first casualty of the Pakistan-Taliban peace agreement. He was covering the latest peace deal between the Taliban and Pakistan and was traveling in the caravan with Sufi Mohammed, a pro-Taliban cleric and lead negotiator for the Taliban who is considered a relative moderate, when he went missing on Wednesday.

Issa Khan, Khankhel's brother, told reporters
"My brother was taken away at gunpoint from the march," 

(piece rally)

His body was later found, he had been shot three times (reports vary: he was shot 3-12 times) and his assailants had attempted to behead him. Mosa Became the fourth journalist to be killed in swat Valley in less than a year, he was killed one day after the Pakistan government agreed to recognize the sharia law as interpreted by the Taliban in the Malakand Division, which includes Swat Valley, In return for the Taliban agreeing to a 10-day cease-fire.

Azhar Abbas, GEO TV's managing director said:
"He is the first martyr of this peace deal," 

A funeral was held today for Mosa in the town of Mingora a prominent town in Swat Valley, around 600 people were in attendance (many of whom were journalist) and called on the government to bring the killers to justice.

More than 500 people including lawyers and journalist marched on the governor's house in Peshawar calling on the government to protect journalists. In the eastern city of Lahore more than 500 media workers held a rally demanding protection for journalists and chanting anti-Taliban slogans. Rana Aziz, secretary general of the Punjab Union of Journalists said,
"Musa Khan Khel's murder is an attack on freedom of press." 

Similar protests were reportedly held in Karachi, Multan, Bannu, Nowshera, Mansehra in the North West Frontier Province, and Quetta.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing but a Taliban spokesman said,
"It is the work of those who do not want peace in the region and are opposed to the deal signed between Soofi Mohammad and the government," 

 


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