Sajid Tanoli

Incident Description: Shot Dead

On January 29, 2004, a reporter with the regional Urdu-language daily newspaper Shumal, Sajid Tanoli, was shot and killed by the mayor of Mansehra, Khalid Javed. Police had filed murder charges against Javed who fled the scene. They also arrested his brother and son as suspected accomplices in the murder, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Tanoli, 35, had written an article on January 26, which alleged that Javed was running a liquor business — an illegal activity in Pakistan.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the next day, Javed filed a libel suit against Shumal, demanding a written apology. Following the murder, provincial police were investigating Javed’s whereabouts.

In 2006, Tanoli’s family pardoned the accused. According to Tanoli's brother, Ali Asghar Tanoli, Javed paid Rs2.5 million (US $ 23,800) to the family as compensation for the death. According to police, the accused Khalid (Javed) Khan was arrested in 2005. However, both parties patched up and the case was withdrawn from court.