New York, January 19, 2024— Pakistan authorities must immediately investigate the attack against Suno News journalist Shoaib Burni, and hold the perpetrators accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
On January 14, an unknown number of unidentified gunmen on a motorbike shot Burni, who is the TV station’s bureau chief in Karachi, in the left arm as he was driving his car in the Lucky One area of Pakistan’s biggest city, according to Suno News and Naimat Khan, General Secretary of the Karachi Union of Journalists.
Khan told CPJ that the attack appeared to be targeted, although the motive was unclear. Police have initiated an investigation, and early findings suggested that the attack was deliberate, according to Khan, noting that Burni is a senior journalist known for his balanced reporting.
“Pakistani authorities must swiftly investigate the attack on Shoaib Burni and hold the perpetrators accountable,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “The gun attack underscores the dangers journalists face in Pakistan. Authorities have a duty to ensure journalists are safe in Pakistan, especially as the country heads into elections next month.”
Pakistanis are due to vote on February 8, amid political uncertainty following the jailing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan who was ousted after a no-confidence vote in 2022.
Suno News is a privately-owned Pakistani TV station that broadcasts news and current affairs in the local Urdu language. It also has an English news website.
Police in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, did not respond to a CPJ’s emailed request for comment.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Committee to Protect Journalists | Radio Free (2024-01-19T15:53:00+00:00) Pakistani TV journalist Shoaib Burni injured in gun attack in Karachi. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2024/01/19/pakistani-tv-journalist-shoaib-burni-injured-in-gun-attack-in-karachi/
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