The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Pakistan affiliate, the Pakistan
Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) have welcomed the arrest on June 15 of the
killer of Geo News journalist Wali Khan Babar.

IFJ urged the
Pakistan government to move proactively to end impunity regarding all crimes
against journalists.

Karachi Police
arrested the Kamran alias Zeeshan Shani in a joint raid on Monday, six years
after he and five others were convicted for the murder. Kamran absconded after
Babar was gunned down in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi on January 13, 2011.

Kamran was arrested
during a  raid carried out after a tip-off from a federal intelligence
agency. With his arrest, all six convicts involved in the killing of the
journalist have been brought to justice.

On March 1, 2014, an
anti-terrorism court (ATC) convicted Naveed Polka, Muhammad Ali Rizvi, Faisal
Mahmood, and Mohammad Shahrukh Khan to life imprisonment, and ordered death
sentences in absentia for Kamran alias ‘Zeeshan’ and Faisal Mehmood alias
‘Mota’ for the killing of the journalist.

Within a week of the
murder of the Geo News journalist, five witnesses of the shooting, including
two police officers and an informer, were also shot dead. The prosecutor, in
the case, Naimat Ali Randhawa, was also killed.

According to
Kamran’s confession, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) London faction, which
he joined in 2008, was involved in the journalist’s murder. According to the
police report, Babar was killed because the MQM feared that the slain
journalist would report on anti-MQM stories.

PFUJ said:
“PFUJ president GM Jamali and Secretary-General Rana Muhammad Azeem have
expressed their satisfaction over the arrest of Murderer of Wali Khan Babar.
PFUJ demands that the  murderer is brought before  the court of
law.”

 IFJ said:
“IFJ appreciates the police efforts in the arrest of the fugitive mastermind
behind the tragic murder of journalist Wali Khan Babar. In a climate of
increasing impunity on crimes against journalists, this is a positive step. We
urge the Pakistan government to continue its efforts to fight  impunity
and ensure justice is done for the many journalists murdered in
Pakistan.”—IFJ media release

Website: Journalism Pakistan