MIRANSHAH: A senior Journalist of a private newspaper and TV news channel was shot dead on Wednesday in restive North Waziristan agency, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported. The outlawed TTP has condemned his killing and denied any involvement in the attack.
Malik Mumtaz, a correspondent for The News and Geo News, was returning home to Miranshah after offering condolences from a nearby village as he reached near Chashma bridge, some unknow assailtants came and shot him to death, sources said.
The deceased body has been shifted to a local hospital for post mortem.
Malik Mumtaz had recently been elected President of the Miranshah Press Club. He is survived by his two sons and daughter.
His funeral will be held on Thursday at 2:30 PM in Miranshah and later he will be laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard.
Mehboob Afridi, the secretary general of the Tribal Union of Journalists, confirmed the Mumtaz had been shot dead and condemned the killing.
“Mumtaz was traveling towards Chashma bridge when the attackers fired on his vehicle,” said Afridi.
Local media men said Mumtaz may have been killed by militants as he had been receiving threats. However, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) condemned the killing and denied any involvement in the attack.
“He was a good reporter and was serving tribal people, we condemn his killing and salute his services for tribal people,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
DND
