Six men have been found guilty for their roles in the murder of Wali Khan Babar, a Geo TV journalist who was shot dead in Karachi in January 2011; the first convictions of killers of journalists in Pakistan for a decade.
Babar, who had been threatened because of his coverage of political corruption, extortion and land-grabbing, was shot to death while driving home from work. After his murder, several people connected to the investigation, including a police informant, two police officers and the brother of an investigating officer, were also killed. In 2012, the one remaining witness to the case who had agreed to testify in court, was murdered. And the two original prosecutors in the case were threatened and fled into exile.
Police said the murders were organised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan’s third-largest political party, which has repeatedly denied any involvement. A special anti-terrorism court sentenced Naveed Polka, Muhammad Ali Rizvi, Faisal Mahmood and Mohammad Shahrukh Khan to life in prison for the murder of Babar. Two others, Kamran (alias “Zeeshan”) and Faisal Mota, who have not yet been arrested, were sentenced to death in absentia.
Bob Dietz, the Asia programme coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said: “These convictions mark a significant step in addressing the deep-rooted culture of impunity surrounding the murders of journalists in Pakistan.
“They indicate what can be achieved when the country’s legal system commits itself to pursuing justice.”
The CPJ published a special report in May 2013, Roots of impunity, which documented the lead-up to Babar’s murder and its aftermath. Prior to these convictions, the high-profile killing of US reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan was the only known journalist murder case in the country in which partial justice was carried out. At least 46 journalists have been killed in Pakistan over the course of the last decade, according to CPJ research.
