Nationality Pakistani Role Journalist Name Abdost Rind | Years active 2004–2011 Occupation Journalist Died February 18, 2011 | |
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Abdost Rind (1984? – 18 February 2011), a reporter in Pakistan, was working for the Daily Eagle, an Urdu-language newspaper in the Turbat area of Balochistan, Pakistan, on 18 February, when he became the second journalist killed in Balochistan in 2011.
Contents
Personal
Abdost is survived by his mother, father and older brother.
Career
Abdost had been a reporter since he was twenty years old, which was about seven years.
Death
On 18 February 2011, Abdost Rind, a part-time reporter for the Urdu-language newspaper known as the Daily Eagle, was shot four times on his way home from work in the Turbat area of Balochistan, Pakistan. The attackers were unidentified and got away on a motorcycle after Rind was shot. Rind is reported to have died immediately. Rind's family, his father, mother, and brother, believe that his murder was work related and have called for an immediate investigation. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also called for a quick investigation into Rind's murder.
Context
According to the UN News Centre, Pakistan has become one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous, place for journalists to work. This announcement follows the report from Reporters Without Borders that states that eleven journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2010. In contrast, according to the International News Safety Institute, the International Federation of Journalists reported that fifteen journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2010, out of a total of ninety-seven across the globe. Six of these deaths are reported to have taken place in Balochistan, Pakistan.
Reporters Without Borders also reported that within the thirteen months prior to March 2011, thirteen journalists had been killed in Pakistan. The first two media workers killed in Pakistan in 2011, according to Reporters Without Borders, were Salman Taseer on 4 January and Wali Khan Babar on 13 January. UNESCO has listed that the first two media workers killed in 2011 in Pakistan were Ilyas Nizzar, found on 5 January, and Abdost Rind, killed on 18 February. The journalists reported by Reporters Without Borders are not listed by UNESCO.
The CIA World Factbook has reported that the Pakistani government often controls and censors the media. Organizations that research censorship in Pakistan rank Pakistan in the bottom third of countries on freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders believes that reporters who report information that the Pakistani government does not agree with or want spread to the masses are often risking their lives. According to information from Reporters Without Borders, reporters in the tribal areas must contend with the Taliban and the Pakistani government. Foreign media is rarely able to make it into the country. Journalists who work in Pakistan are often native to the area where they are working.
Rind's relationship with the Baloch separatist movement, is a possible reason for his murder. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, this group strives to gain regional independence from the Pakistani government. The Economic Times has stated that Robert Blake, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, believes that the Baloch separatist movement is caused by domestic issues within Pakistan. Activists and journalists associated with this movement, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, are often military targets because of the effects that their political activities have on their journalism pieces.
Impact
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Pakistan has been the deadliest country for journalists in 2010 and 2011.
The International Federation of Journalists said Rind was the second journalist killed in Balochistan in 2011. Ilyas Nizzar, according to the UNESCO, was the first journalist killed in Balochistan in 2011. Nizzar's body was found in Pidarak on 5 January 2011.
Reporters Without Borders does not list Ilyas Nizzar and Abdost Rind as being the first two Pakistani journalists killed in 2011. Prominent politician and media owner Salman Taseer and journalist Wali Khan Babar were the first two Pakistanis that Reporters Without Borders listed as being killed in 2011. Abdost Rind was one of the most active reporters in the Turbat region of Balochistan, Pakistan, according to the International News Safety Institute.
Reactions
Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said, "The killing of Abdos Rind raises further concern over the ability of media workers in Pakistan to exercise the fundamental human right of freedom of expression. All of us depend on free media to engage in informed debate and make responsible choices."
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said, "Authorities in Balochistan must act quickly to investigate Abdost Rind's death, to send a message to those responsible that journalists killers will not go unpunished. The disturbing frequency with which media personnel were attacked and killed in Balochistan for the past many years must end."
Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator, said, "CPJ joins with our Pakistani colleagues in calling for a swift investigation into the shooting death of Abdost Rind. Pakistan's reputation as a country where journalists are killed with impunity is among the worst in the world. To allow Rind's death to go uninvestigated and unprosecuted will only add to that miserable record."
Jacqueline Park, IFJ Asia-Pacific Director, said, "For too long, conflict and the risks for media personnel in Balochistan have gone relatively unnoticed, with most attention focused on the war consuming Pakistan's northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and Tribal Areas. The crisis of media safety compels the global community to immediately step forward with a gesture of solidarity and support for the beleaguered journalists of Balochistan."
The investigation behind Rind's murder has not concluded and no official motive has yet been made public.