Journalists Killed in 2017 - Motive Confirmed: Taimoor Khan
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 31 December 2017 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Killed in 2017 - Motive Confirmed: Taimoor Khan, 31 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a4e338ba.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Samaa TV | Killed in Karachi, Pakistan | February 12, 2017
| Job: | Camera Operator |
| Medium: | Television |
| Beats Covered: | Crime, Politics |
| Gender: | Male |
| Local or Foreign: | Local |
| Freelance: | No |
| Type of Death: | Dangerous Assignment |
| Suspected Source of Fire: | Political Group |
| Impunity: | |
| Taken Captive: | |
| Tortured: | |
| Threatened: | |
Taimoor Khan, a cameraman for the privately owned broadcaster Samaa TV, was fatally shot on February 12, 2017, while covering the aftermath of an attack on a police vehicle in Karachi. He was 22.
Khan, also called Taimur Abbas in press reports, and colleagues from Samaa TV were arriving to cover the aftermath of a grenade attack on a police vehicle in the North Nazimabad district of Karachi that hurt no one when gunmen on a motorcycle began shooting at their van, according to press reports. Abbas was shot in the head and chest, and died while being treated in a nearby hospital, according to news reports.
The group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack both on the police vehicle and on the Samaa TV van, according to news reports. Militants in Pakistan have repeatedly staged secondary attacks to target people rushing to the scene of a first attack. Such secondary attacks put journalists, who often cover the aftermath of bombings, at special risk.
Police chief Muqaddas Haier told the English-language newspaper Dawn that police suspect that the gunmen, likely more than two people, attacked the police vehicle to attract the media's attention. Police arrested some 30 suspects during raids across Karachi following the attack, according to press reports. Monetary rewards were offered for information leading to the capture of the perpetuators, according to Dawn. Officials from the highest level of the Pakistani government, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, condemned Khan's murder and vowed to safeguard journalists.
Khan had worked for Samaa TV for 18 months, and was the sole breadwinner in his family, according to Dawn.
