NEW YORK (APP) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based independent watchdog body, has condemned Monday’s terrorist attack at the civil hospital in Quetta that killed at least 70 people, including two journalists.
Mehmood Khan, a cameraman for Dawn News, and Aaj TV cameraman, Shehzad Ahmed, were at the hospital reporting on a gathering of mourners grieving the murder of Bilal Kasi, president of the Balochistan Bar Association when the massive bomb went off.
Shehzad died at the scene of the blast, while Mehmood breathed his last at the hospital soon after the incident.
“This deadly attack underlines the extreme dangers journalists face working in Pakistan,” CPJ Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler said in a statement.
“The deaths of Shehzad Ahmed and Mehmood Khan testify to the bravery and dedication of Pakistan’s press corp.”
In a press release, CPJ said Monday’s deaths bring to at least 60 the number of journalists killed in Pakistan since 1992, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.
