CPJ decries armed attack on Hamid Mir

NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is alarmed by the continuing violence directed at journalists in Pakistan.

Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir was shot three times soon after he and his driver left Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

"The attack on Hamid Mir is an indicator that the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has not been able to reverse the country's appalling record of violence against journalists, despite pledges to do so," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.

"Full prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes is the only answer to reversing this history. Police must act swiftly and decisively in this and all cases that have been building up for years in Pakistan. And the country's media must use their capabilities to pursue their own investigations, as well as pressure the government to take action."

Hamid Mir underwent a successful operation at a private hospital in Karachi.

On March 28, gunmen sprayed the car of TV anchor and analyst Raza Rumi. He escaped serious injury, but his driver, Mustafa, was killed. Earlier in March, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to a visiting CPJ delegation to take several steps to improve journalist security.