Amir Nawab

Incident Description: Shot Dead

On February 7, 2005, two journalists were shot dead and another received a serious bullet injury when unidentified armed persons opened fire at their vehicle in Wana, South Waziristan. The journalists included the Correspondent of English language daily The Nation, Lahore and Pashto language AVT Khyber Television, Allah Noor Wazir, and Correspondent of English language daily The Frontier Post, Peshawar and a freelance cameraman for Associated Press Television News (APTN), Amir Nawab Khan Wazir.

Both journalists belonged to the local Ahmadzai Wazir tribe. The journalists were travelling in a van near the town of Wana when men armed with AK-47s opened fire on them. The journalists were rushed to a hospital but died shortly. No one had claimed responsibility for the attack. The journalists had been reporting on the signing of an agreement between Pakistani authorities and a local tribal leader suspected of having links with Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Baitullah Mehsud had pledged not to support the militants or carry out attacks on government installations.

Waziristan Union of Journalists President Umer Wazir told PPF that no case of journalists killed in South and North Waziristan has been investigated. According to an assistant political agent office, the journalists were attacked during war when the writ of the state was very weak at the time, and they were unable to identify the attackers. No one was arrested and there were no court proceedings.