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Journalist committee condemns attack on scribes in Pak

June 26, 2012 08:43 IST

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the attack on the offices of a Pakistani television channel and called on authorities to immediately investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

At least four gunmen on motorcycles shot at the front of the Aaj TV building in Karachi at about 9 pm, injuring two guards outside the station, the station's staff members told CPJ.

Aaj TV is a private Urdu-language outlet that covers domestic and international news.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility of the attack.

"This brazen attack illustrates how the Pakistani press is under fire from all sides and for all manner of reasons," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.

"Authorities need to do more than promise an investigation, they need to enforce the law to ensure that the flow of information is not dictated by violent forces," Dietz said.

Pakistan has ranked as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists in 2010 and 2011, according to a CPJ research.

Last month, two journalists were killed, two others shot and wounded, and another attacked in police custody, CPJ research shows.
Lalit K Jha in Washington
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