JournalismPakistan.com | Published January 14, 2018 | Myra Imran & Imran Naeem Ahmad
Join our WhatsApp channel
This story is one of 10 case studies highlighting the economic condition of slain journalists’ families and the displaced reporters. Journalist Myra Imran traveled to remote and high-risk districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA to interview family members, their relatives, displaced journalists, and office-bearers of press clubs and journalist unions. The stories are part of a field study report Surviving the Story, launched on January 8, a collaborative initiative of JournalismPakistan.com and Communications Research Strategies (CRS).
Saleem Tahir, a local journalist, was among the first to reach the site of a bomb blast in Dera Ismail Khan on January 4, 2009. The security personnel turned away many people but the 46-year-old used his journalist ID to get close access to the scene. Unfortunately, another explosion followed at a roadside hotel. A suicide bomber blew himself up, killing Tahir and many others.
“He used to cover bomb blasts all the time, I could never imagine he would get killed,” Tahir’s widow Zahida Parveen says sobbing.
The death in the sacred month of Moharram left the family shocked. “My parents were shattered to hear the news,” says Abdul Rasheed, the slain journalist’s elder brother. “My mother lost her senses, unable to recognize anyone for almost seven years.”
Tahir’s father fell ill too, remaining bed-ridden for nine months before passing away. His mother died in August 2016.
According to a report by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), D. I. Khan witnessed 63 sectarian attacks in 2008 and 2009 in which 135 people were killed.
Known for his bold writing, Tahir wrote columns for several newspapers and also owned Weekly Chitan.
His daring writing style was often the topic of discussion at home. “My father used to ask me why I did not tell my husband to stop writing so fearlessly. He even spoke to him a few times, reminding him he had small children and that he was a government servant,” Parveen says.
Tahir would laugh off such calls, pointing out journalism meant reporting honestly. “I also told him to stop but he wouldn’t listen,” recalls Parveen.
Journalists in Pakistan’s remote districts are often poorly paid or do not get paid at all. It is for this reason they have to look for other sources of income.
Tahir had a low-scale government job. He also ran a homeopathic clinic, treating the needy. But his first and last love was journalism. It was this love that took his life. “He had newspaper clippings of a previous bomb blast in his pocket when he got killed. I still have those blood-stained cuttings,” Parveen says, holding back her tears.
Her son Ahmad Saleem, now 26, works as a clerk in the Deputy Commissioner’s office. He says he knew practicing journalism was full of risks. “Writing the truth is not easy.” He recalls his father telling him in 2008 that things were becoming difficult for journalists.
Little did Saleem know life would be so hard. With his father dead, he had to shoulder responsibilities at a very young age to help the family get back on its feet.
“We faced a lot of problems after his death; the greatest being the expenditure of my siblings’ education. My uncles helped but it is hard to ask.”
Saleem is lucky to get a job, thanks to the efforts of the local journalists and the chief minister.
Despite the job, the family faced financial hardship. There was no support forthcoming from any organization - only sympathies. The news organizations Tahir worked for offered no monetary help, nor did the government. It was a financial nightmare.
Parveen had submitted her papers for a job as a health worker when her husband was alive. “I was called for four-month training after his death. I had never ventured out of the home before and it was tough for me; also because the kids were small.”
The biggest issue for her was the children’s education. “Educating the kids was a challenge, and it was difficult to make ends meet due to inflation.” Had they received her husband’s full pay, she retorts, as the families of slain security forces personnel do, it would not have been so distressing.
Parveen demands the government provide support to her children considering Tahir was killed in line the of duty. “We deserve assistance and my children support with their education.”
December 15, 2024: Journalist Malik Zafar Iqbal Naich was tragically shot dead in Rahim Yar Khan while distributing newspapers. The IFJ and PFUJ strongly condemn the killing, urging swift justice amid Pakistan's deteriorating safety for journalists.
November 22, 2024: Young journalist Jinan Hussain becomes Pakistan's 11th media casualty of 2024 in a devastating attack on a passenger convoy in Kurram district that claimed 41 lives near the Afghan border.
August 28, 2024: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered immediate action following the murder of journalist Mohammed Bachal in Ghotki. The government is intensifying anti-dacoit operations.
July 14, 2024: In Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, journalist Malik Hassan Zaib was shot and killed by motorcycle assailants. The Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club have condemned the attack, calling for swift justice. This marks the third journalist killing in the region within two months.
June 18, 2024: Khyber News Television correspondent Khalil Jibran was tragically shot dead in Landi Kotal, District Khyber. The journalist, who had previously received threats, was ambushed and killed while returning home. This incident highlights the growing dangers faced by journalists in Pakistan.
May 24, 2024: Journalist Nasrullah Gaddani, known for highlighting civic issues in Sindh, was fatally shot in Kori Goth. Despite facing repeated arrests and threats, he continued his courageous reporting. His death underscores the dangers faced by journalists in Pakistan and calls for stronger protection and justice.
October 24, 2022: Renowned journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was tragically shot and killed in Kenya. His wife, Javeria Siddique, confirmed the devastating news on social media, urging the public to refrain from speculation. Sharif, who was well-known for his work with ARY News and received the Pride of Performance Award in 2019, had joined BOL News.
February 18, 2022: Athar Mateen, a senior producer at Samaa TV, was tragically shot dead during a robbery in North Nazimabad, Karachi. Sindh's authorities and Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the incident, calling for a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice.
April 11, 2025 Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025 The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025 Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025 The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025 Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.