Who attacked Ahmed Noorani?

I don’t know.

I only know that Ahmed Noorani, a newsperson with The News, often makes headlines with controversial stories.

But that is what is every news person always likes to do.

Some armed motorcyclists intercepted him on Friday in Islamabad and inflicted deep knife wounds on him. 

This what a news person least like to be. They do not want to be news.

I am deeply shocked how a reporter can be so brazenly attacked in broad daylight on the capital busy roads.

He is hospitalised and I wish him a speedy recovery.

I don’t know the attackers.

The attack on him will send a message to all reporters that …

Press freedom is increasingly becoming a hot issue in Pakistan. Recently, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif raised the issue of involuntary disappearance of two members of the social media team of Maryam Nawaz with Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal. Little headway has been made in efforts to recover them. The good minister has also vowed to make the case of Ahmed Noorani an example. I will wait to see how the government makes progress in the case.

So far, attacks on journalists are rarely investigated and concluded logically.

Did the government look into the case of a female journalist, Zeenat Shahzadi, who remained disappeared for two years, and was rescued from the militants in the porous Pak-Afghan border area, as per the claim of law enforcement agencies?        

No.

When a journalist can be attacked in Islamabad where the multi-billion Safe City is helpless to trace the attackers, what to say about the off-the-capital areas.

What about Baluchistan?

What about parts of Quetta, where vendors have stopped delivering newspapers after threats from militant outfits?

It is a matter of great concern that Pakistan stands 139 out of 180 countries in the World Press Index of 2017, released by the Reporters Without Borders. The recent developments will impact Pakistan standing in the World Press Index in the next year ranking. The safety of journalists in Pakistan is a big concern as in the last 15 years, 117 journalists have been murdered. Neither the press watchdog nor the law enforcement agencies have any track record of these cases. Perhaps the files of these cases are gathering dust in some courtrooms.

Instead of taking up the cases in courts, whenever a journalist is attacked, opinions and rumours fly high that who is behind the attack. Often fingers are pointed at militant outfits, criminal gangs, political groups as well as government agencies.

I don’t know who the attackers were in the case of Ahmed Noorani.

As social media was running madly to implicate security agencies in the attack, they should be reminded the case of press freedom activist Sabeen Mahmud, who was killed in Karachi. All were sure of the involvement of the premier security agency in the murder unless the killers of Safoora Goth were arrested. They disclosed that they had killed Subeen Mahmud for her activism.  

A free press is essential for a healthy, vibrant society and strong democracy. A press working under threats would never come up with the true picture of society.

Ahmed Noorani might not be an objective journalist. Several of his source-infested stories were just agenda-setting stories. Regardless of what standards of his journalism are, there is no point that Ahmed Noorani is attacked. Other forums are available to take up and contest his work.

Get well soon, Ahmed Noorani!

Get well soon, press freedom!