Armed men in Sukkur gunned down senior journalist Jan Muhammad Mahar. The attack was condemned by journalist associations and demanded the government bring those responsible to book.
Mahar was associated with a Sindhi newspaper and its private television channel.
Local police said that as Mahar left his office on Sunday evening, driving slowly on Queens Road, three unidentified armed men riding on a motorbike approached him near the St. Saviour School on Queens Road on Sunday evening and shot at him.
The assailants aimed at Mahar's head, and he received several gunshots to his head and face, police said.
He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. While doctors attempted to save his life, his injuries were too serious to survive.
Police have launched an investigation into the attack and believe that the cause could be personal enmity.
Condemnation
The attack was widely condemned by journalist unions who decried the rise in fatal violence against journalists.
The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) condemned the incident in a statement. It demanded the government arrest the culprits and bring them to book.
After the abduction of journalists, it is extremely disturbing that a senior journalist has been killed, said KUJ President Fahim Siddiqui. He urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to take notice of the abduction and murder of journalists.
He added that the provincial police force has completely failed to provide security to journalists.
Musician Saif Samejo, who was friends with Mahar and had hosted him at this music and culture festival Lahooti Melo, wrote: "He had dreams of contributing positively, not just through journalism but also by organizing festivals and music concerts. He wanted to share his thoughts on stage and recite poems about love. Sadly, an innocent life was taken due to a flawed system that fails to provide a secure society."
He added that in Pakistan, "surviving sometimes means staying silent or saying what those in control want you to. It's a sad truth that we might move forward and forget, even though this shouldn't be the case.
"Jan Mohammad and I were friends for some 18 years, and he always believed that the system worked automatically, beyond the reach of politicians or others in power. He felt they weren't capable of truly leading the country."
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