(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) A bomb attack in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Friday claimed the life of a prominent journalist and left seven others wounded, according to local authorities.
Muhammad Siddiq Mengal, a senior journalist and president of the Khuzdar Press Club, was fatally targeted when a remote-controlled bomb struck his vehicle on the Sultan Ibrahim highway near Khuzdar town, stated a police official.
The incident adds to a string of terrorist activities in Balochistan, where on the preceding Thursday, twin landmine explosions near Thaikedar Naddi in the Duki district resulted in one fatality and 20 injuries. The initial explosion occurred when a truck triggered a landmine, followed by a second blast as bystanders gathered.
In another episode on the prior Friday, unidentified assailants attacked in the Kali Tarata area of Pishin district, injuring two senior police officers, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Station House Officer (SHO). Similarly, in the Tump area of the district, armed men fatally shot two laborers.
Pakistan's press freedom situation remains concerning, as highlighted by its ranking of 150 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) in 2023. According to a report from Freedom Network, an independent media watchdog, the country witnessed the murder of at least 53 journalists from 2012 to 2022, with convictions secured in only two cases.
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