Another journalist was killed last week. His name was Wali Khan Babar. Wali, like many of his fellows killed last year - making Pakistan the deadliest country for journalists in 2010 - was a silent reporter of the state of national and political affairs. Pity for him, for he covered a beat rife with danger: Karachi politics.
But this isn only about Wali. Its about a body of persons who dare to venture out and risk their lives to report back to society - informing its members of the malicious vice that is breeding in its dark undergrounds. Yet, society rarely pauses to think about them.
By any account, journalists are the medium through which democracy breathes. Yet, the number of journalists killed in Pakistan was 17 between 2008 to date, as against 16 killed in the previous nine years of dictatorial regime, according to data compiled by the global NGO Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Although, it is yet unclear if Wali received threats before he was targeted, CPJs trends analysis reveal that more than 60 percent of journalists report receiving threats in the weeks before they are killed. "Long-term CPJ research shows that physical attacks are often preceded by phone or electronic threats," the New York-based organisation pointed out last month.
"Journalists in Pakistan face threats from a dizzying range of actors - including Taliban fighters and other militants, state security forces, corrupt local officials, and religious extremists," the recently released CPJs annual report said.
Add to that targeted killings of journalists covering political beats like Wali, and the life of a journalist appears to be more vulnerable in Pakistan - a country which is amongst the CPJs top ten 2010 Impunity Index that enlists countries "where journalists are murdered on a recurring basis and the governments fail to prosecute the killers".
But perhaps, the employers of Pakistani journalists - the local media bosses - are equally to be blamed for making Pakistan one of the deadliest countries for journalists. And thats because only a handful, if any at all, media employers provide thorough training to their employees for conflict & war reporting, or otherwise provide formal guidance in covering thorny political beats.
How will 2011 end up being for journalists in Pakistan, one can never be too sure. The year has had a troubled start already - and from the look of things, such as growing political infighting between political parties in Karachi and talk of fresh operations in the countrys north western belt, the situation doesn seem to be getting any better.
Whatever happens, here is just a small plea to all the stakeholders of society: don let journalists be a dying breed.