IBA-CEJ hosts screening of documentary pointing out legal loopholes in journalist Zakir Hussain Dahar’s murder
IBA faculty member and senior journalist Shahzeb Ahmed speaks at the screening of a documentary highlighting the legal loopholes in the murder of journalist Zakir Hussain Dahar, during an event at CEJ-IBA on Wednesday. Photo: Express
On January 1, 2014, journalist Zakir Hussain Dahar, known as Shan Dahar, was shot in the back in Badah town, Larkana district of Sindh. He had been leaning against the counter of a small medical shop, caught in a dispute between patients of a nearby Basic Health Center (BHC) and the pharmacy, a little past midnight when the bullet hit his upper back.
Dahar, then bureau chief at AbbTak Newshappened to be in the narrow lane that night because he had investigated the interruption in the supply of medicine by a non-governmental organization labeled free. Twelve years and obvious procedural irregularities later, police claim Dahar’s killing was an accident, caused by a stray bullet fired from 60 meters away, another victim of unabated New Year’s Eve aerial shooting.
A report released by Safe Journalism at the Center of Excellence in Journalism (CEJ), under a global initiative led by Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at IBA Karachi on Wednesday, sheds light on the findings in the case, eyewitness accounts, postmortem report, family testimony and police investigation. The facts of both the case and the investigation do not add up.
Before he breathed his last at Chandka Hospital, Dahar accused the influential Zehri tribe of putting a target on his back. Amir Zehri, the main accused in the case, was declared a fugitive in the case, who was not investigated as a “criminal” for more than nine hours after the murder. His blood-soaked clothes were strewn on the floor, discarded by the police, and a small handycam on his person at the time of death was retrieved by his sister. The killing happened near the Badah Press Club. Journalists were outraged.
Read: In the firing line: Another year filled with violence for journalists in Pakistan
The police never recorded the statements of medical storekeeper Zulfikar Kokar and BHC watchman Munna Qadir, recalls senior investigative reporter Adil Jawad. Instead, the Sindh Police submitted 15 to 16 identical reports from different investigating officers when the conduct of the police was questioned.
An accompanying press release said at least 98 journalists killed in Pakistan since 1992 have yet to receive justice.
The report entitled, The Truth Denied: How Pakistani Authorities Built an Unsolvable Case, documents procedural errors, omissions and inconsistencies in Sindh Police’s investigation and case progress over the past 12 years. The CEJ’s findings support claims by Dahar’s family and colleagues about complacency and possible willful negligence on the part of the investigating authorities.
Panelist Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed noted at the report’s launch that Pakistan has a low conviction rate of approximately 16%. According to him, the effective rate should be around 70-80%, which shows that the country takes investigations seriously, but also has room to exonerate the innocent.
“At every stage we have faced local pressure, police shortages and legal obstacles,” said human rights lawyer Salahuddin Panhwar, who has experience pursuing justice for slain journalists in Sindh. He stressed the need for convictions in cases involving serious human rights violations.
Read more: Journalism remains the most dangerous vocation in Sindh
“We as a society are also guilty of forgetting our colleagues who have died in the line of duty. Our first duty is not to forget them. If we don’t speak up for them, who will?” expatriate co-panelist and CEJ director Shahzeb Jillani.
Earlier, in his keynote address, Sindh Chief Minister Saeed Ghani appreciated the research behind the report. “If there are flaws in the police investigation, we must identify them clearly. Only then can we begin to repair what is broken,” Ghani said.
Except, the family notes, in the documentary released by the FPU based on the findings of the report, that the Sindh government failed to live up to its promises not only to ensure justice, but to provide for Dahar’s daughters’ education.
The murdered journalist’s eldest daughter recalls that while she had once wanted to be a journalist like her father, the events that followed his killing and the apparent investigation convinced her to be a lawyer instead.
At the launch, IBA faculty and senior journalist Shahzeb Ahmed noted that whoever we identify as a journalist should be questioned.
The first question when a journalist is attacked is often: is he even a journalist? In our eyes, it is anyone who transmits information. We cannot discriminate against someone sitting in a remote area like Barkhan just because they have never had the opportunity to join the mainstream media.”
According to CPJ, the unsolved murder of Dahar was a prime example of Pakistan’s systemic failure to investigate crimes against journalists. Their 18-month investigation used video and photographic evidence to prove the official narrative was “highly implausible” and revealed police used the case to blackmail individuals and coerce witnesses into giving false information.
The opening statements at the IBA were followed by a video tribute to journalists who have been murdered in Pakistan since 1992, including Daniel Pearl, Saleem Shehzad and Nasrullah Gadani.
The report concluded that the authorities had ignored a clear motive – Dahar’s investigation into the illegal resale of donated medicine. Despite filming the scheme just before he was shot and previously accusing the clinic’s manager – who was later suspended for medical negligence leading to Dahar’s death – no official investigation was conducted into the doctor’s involvement.
“If we look at Shan Dahar’s case, we can see how that case was never solved. Lack of evidence is not the problem, and as we said earlier (in the post-screening panel discussion), this case can still be solved. We are also going to work with government authorities. The families of these journalists deserve closure,” Sarfrazounder Safe Journalism Co-Menhmal noted.
