Murder of A Veteran Journalist Malik Mohammad Ismail Khan.
Resident Editor of a national news agency Pakistan Press International (PPI) who was brutally murdered in Islamabad under mysterious circumstances.
Veteran journalist and Resident Editor of a national news agency Pakistan Press International (PPI) Islamabad, Malik Mohammad Ismail Khan 53, who served 30 years as a journalist, was brutally murdered by unknown assailants in Islamabad, federal capital of Pakistan), at midnight on 31 October/1 November 2006.
According to the police, his dead body was found from the green belt area (Jungle) of F-6/1, some 30 feet away from Shaheed-e-Millat Road, opposite Super Market not so far away from his office (PPI), on 1 November 2006, in the morning as an unknown person, while his waistcoat was near his body and his identity cards, press card, visiting cards, telephone note book, cash rupees 580, two cheques and glasses for vision were in it. Police stated that, his waistcoat was found by a Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) later on in the day and they contacted his office (PPI) Islamabad in the afternoon, and PPI staff told his family members about the incident after 2pm in the day.
His family members, journalist community of twin cities, Federal Ministers Mohammad Ali Durrani (Information), Ghulam Sarwar Khan (Labour, Menpower and Overseas Pakistanies), Principal Information Officer Ishfaq Gondal, Senator Doctor Babar Awan (Central Secretary Finance PPP), Senator (Retired) Farhatullah Babar (Spokesman of Mohtarma Banazir Bhutto and PPP),and many other politicians from different political parties rushed towards the (PIMS) where his dead body was in mortuary.
Police station Kohsar in Islamabad, registered an FIR No. 466 dated 01.11.2006 against unknown assailants on the complaint of his son.
He had no enmity and personal conflict with anyone. He had very good reputation as accommodative and well mannered person in the community of journalism. He was a democrate and thorough gentleman who always worked for the positive image of "independent journalism" in Pakistan.
He was born on 14 February 1953 in village Daurdad, (Attock) Pakistan. His father Late Muhammad Yaqoob Khan was an active member for the Movement of Pakistan. Muhammad Yaqoob Khan was a true follower of "Quaid-e-Azam-Mohammad Ali Jinnah" and "Mother of Nation-Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah". He gave support to Fatima Jinnah (Sister of Quaid-e-Azam) as an elected member of Electoral College of Pakistan from his district Attock (then Campbellpur) against Gen. Ayub Khan in presidential elections and faced false cases but did not bow down.
Muhammad Ismail Khan started his career in journalism as a correspondent of Pakistan Press International (PPI), and daily "Taameer", from Attock (then Campbellpur) in 1976. He was a staff reporter of the daily The Muslim, Pakistan Times, and Frontier Post. Later on he joined (PPI) as a senior staff reporter in Islamabad. He worked as a Bureau Chief of PPI News Agency in Peshawar, Bureau Chief daily the "Frontier Post" in Islamabad, Special Correspondent, Editorial writer and Columnist of the daily "Mashriq", Editor Monthly "Overseas" Islamabad, Founder Chief Reporter and Editor Reporting "Online News Agency", Bureau Chief and Resident Editor of PPI News Agency, and worked as a script writer for Radio Pakistan.
He got married in 1977 with, the daughter of the prominent poet Syed Majid-ul-Baqree (R) Deputy Director of Information (Punjab), who was appointed as District Information Officer in Attock at that time. Malik Ismail left behind a wife and two sons. Both his sons are well educated and well mannered. One is living in the UK and the other was living in Pakistan with him.
He was a much loved and respected, son, brother, husband, father, uncle and grandfather, he will be dearly missed and his family will not be able to come to terms with how he died until his killers are found and punished. It is more sad and terrible for his family members, friends, wellwishers, journalist community and people of his area that his killers are still at large.
He was very well known, honest, upright, fearless and a conscientious journalist who was widely admired and respected in the community of journalism for his professionalism and qualities of character.
There are mysterious circumstances surrounding his death because he had no enmity with anyone, plus it could not have been a mugging as his wallet was intact except for his mobile phone which is still missing.
Doctor Khawaja who did the autopsy stated that it was a “target killing” and there were very clear marks on his wrist, whilst the police said, that they tied his hands before taking his body to the hospital.????????????
He was murdered when he went out from his office at 9:30pm on 31/10/2006 for a walk. According to his colleagues he looked and behaved normally that day. He did not seem in any way disturbed by any threats. At the same day, in the evening he had been attended a function in Turkish Embassy which was last assignment of his life. His colleagues who met him there and one of them who dropped out side of his office said that he looked very normal and didn’t not share or discuss about any threat and fear.
Journalist community of Islamabad offered his Funeral Prayer on 1 November at 6:30pm in front of office of the Daily Dawn, which was attended by Politicians, Ministers, Parliamentarians and people from different walk of life. The next day on 2 November he was buried in his native graveyard of Village Daurdad (Attock) where his Funeral was offered by thousands of people from different walks of life including Ministers, Parliamentarians, journalists, lawyers, and notable personalities of Districts Attock, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar, which was led by former Provincial Minister and prominent religious scholar Qari Saeed-ur-Rehman, Principal Jamia Islamia, Kashmir road Rawalpindi Cantt.
Brutal murder of a Senior Journalist was widely condemned throughout the country by politicians, journalists, lawyers, social workers and other people of different walks of life. Parliamentarians of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) submitted an 'adjournment motion' to seeking discussion about the murder of Veteran Journalist in National Assembly of Pakistan while Provincial Assembly of NWFP condemned his brutal killing and paid rich tributes to him.
District Council Attock and Union Council Golra (Tehsil Attock) arranged special meetings to remember the srvices of Malik Ismail, and paying rich tributes to him and announced Peoples Colony Attock City Chowk and Daurdad link road, as "Malik Mohammad Ismail Shaheed" Chowk and Road. Both houses strongly condemned the murder of a senior journalist and appealed to Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Shaukat Aziz and Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, for early arrest of actual murderers of a veteran journalist Malik Mohammad Ismail Khan.
Journalist’s national and international organisations including Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ), International Federation of Journalist (IFJ), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ), Press Clubs and Union of Journalists of all cities strongly condemned the murder of a senior journalist and demanded a thorough investigation and early arrest of the murderers.
The journalist community throughout the country staged demonstrations against the murder of a veteran journalist in different cities of Pakistan including, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Hazro, Kamra, Hassanabdal, Fatehjang, Jand, Talagang, Chakwal, Jhelum, Lahore, Gujarkhan, Murree, Gujranwala, Lahore, Tarbella, Peshawar, Haripur, Muzafarabad, Mirpur, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkar, MirpurKhas, Quetta etc.
Former Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the murder of Mr. Ismail, and paid rich tributes to him.
Even though the government have claimed that they will find the murderers very soon, up until now the murderers are still at large.????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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