In order to protect veteran journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has asked Pakistani authorities to “swiftly and impartially investigate the death threats and online harassment” against him.
The revelation follows Mir’s admission to CPJ that he had received numerous death threats and warnings that his life was in jeopardy on social media, as anchor of the Geo News program “Capital Talk.”
The journalist group stated that although the journalist had also reported the threats to the police in Islamabad last week, no investigation or first information report (FIR) had been filed as of yet.
Meanwhile, Mir, 57, told CPJ that he observed at least two individuals photographing him last week while he was driving close to his home in Islamabad. He added that the people ran away when he approached them.
The CPJ Asia Program Coordinator, Beh Lih Yi, stated, “The threats and online hate campaign against one of Pakistan’s most well-known television anchors illustrate the severity of intimidation and pressure faced by journalists in Pakistan.”
“Those attempting to silence Hamid Mir must be stopped immediately, and Pakistani security agencies must take responsibility for their actions.”
