Hayatullah Khan
Encyclopedia
Hayatullah Khan was a Pakistani journalist who reported from Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas
. Khan wrote extensively on Al-Qaeda
, Taliban and the heavy fighting among tribes in Waziristan
, where he was found dead six months after his reporting contradicted Pakistan
's official statements. He reported from the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which at the time was one of the most dangerous places in the world.
and his work was distributed through the European Pressphoto Agency
. He took 14 hours of videotape for the PBS Frontline documentary Return of The Taliban (2002). He also worked as a fixer for foreign journalists, and according to Eliza Griswold
, he could charge high fees because of the dangers in Waziristan and his strong work ethic and experience.
In 7 August 2001, the Committee to Protect Journalists
wrote a letter to the Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf
after Hayatullah Khan had gone into hiding when the government threatened him with arrest because of his reports about skirmishes among tribes in Waziristan region.
Just days before his kidnapping, the Pakistani authorities had said an al-Qaeda commander they named as Abu Hamza Rabia
had been killed with four others in a blast at an alleged militant hideout in North Waziristan. The official version was that bomb-making materials had exploded by accident, but locals said the men were killed by a missile fired from an unmanned U.S. drone. However, Khan took photographs of what appeared to be pieces of a U.S. Hellfire missile at the scene. The pictures provoked angry protests in Pakistan at the infringement of Pakistani territory by U.S. forces. While both the authorities and local militant groups denied any involvement in his killing, allegations persisted that Pakistan intelligence agencies were involved.
On 17 November 2007, Hayatullah's widow was murdered by a bomb that was detonated outside her home. Preliminary evidence indicates she was the target of the attack.
According to the Tribal Union of Journalists in Pakistan, the number of local journalist had diminished as a result of the dangers in Waziristan. As a result of his death, journalists went on strike and the Pakistan government began an investigation, but no report has ever been released.
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
. Khan wrote extensively on Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, Taliban and the heavy fighting among tribes in Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
, where he was found dead six months after his reporting contradicted Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's official statements. He reported from the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which at the time was one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Career
Hayatullah Khan was a journalist for the Urdu-language daily AusafAusaf
Ausaf is an international Urdu daily newspaper which is being published simultaneously from Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Muzaffarabad, Frankfurt and London. Its chief editor is Mehtab Khan Abbasi....
and his work was distributed through the European Pressphoto Agency
European Pressphoto Agency
European Pressphoto Agency B.V. is an international news photo agency.Images from all parts of the world covering news, politics, sports, business, finance as well as arts, culture and entertainment are provided by a global network of over 400 professional photographers and included in the epa news...
. He took 14 hours of videotape for the PBS Frontline documentary Return of The Taliban (2002). He also worked as a fixer for foreign journalists, and according to Eliza Griswold
Eliza Griswold
Eliza Griswold is an award-winning American journalist and poet. She is a fellow at the New America Foundation and won a 2010 Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters....
, he could charge high fees because of the dangers in Waziristan and his strong work ethic and experience.
In 7 August 2001, the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
wrote a letter to the Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
after Hayatullah Khan had gone into hiding when the government threatened him with arrest because of his reports about skirmishes among tribes in Waziristan region.
Death
His dead body was discovered in June 2006, six months after he had been kidnapped by five unidentified gunmen on 5 December 2005, which his brother Haseenullah had witnessed.Just days before his kidnapping, the Pakistani authorities had said an al-Qaeda commander they named as Abu Hamza Rabia
Abu Hamza Rabia
Abu Hamza Rabia was an Egyptian member of al-Qaeda, described in news accounts as a high-ranking leader within the organization's hierarchy. His death, in a surprise drone attack, was widely reported by media outlets around the world.According to American intelligence officials, Rabia was...
had been killed with four others in a blast at an alleged militant hideout in North Waziristan. The official version was that bomb-making materials had exploded by accident, but locals said the men were killed by a missile fired from an unmanned U.S. drone. However, Khan took photographs of what appeared to be pieces of a U.S. Hellfire missile at the scene. The pictures provoked angry protests in Pakistan at the infringement of Pakistani territory by U.S. forces. While both the authorities and local militant groups denied any involvement in his killing, allegations persisted that Pakistan intelligence agencies were involved.
On 17 November 2007, Hayatullah's widow was murdered by a bomb that was detonated outside her home. Preliminary evidence indicates she was the target of the attack.
Impact
Khan was the fifth, and most high-profile, journalist to be killed in Waziristan in two years, where working conditions for journalists are very hostile who face death threats from the Taliban and harassment from the military.According to the Tribal Union of Journalists in Pakistan, the number of local journalist had diminished as a result of the dangers in Waziristan. As a result of his death, journalists went on strike and the Pakistan government began an investigation, but no report has ever been released.
See also
- Frontier Crimes RegulationsFrontier Crimes RegulationsThe Frontier Crimes Regulation comprises a set of laws enforced by the British Raj in the Pashtun-inhabited tribal areas at the Northwest British India...
- Inter-Services IntelligenceInter-Services IntelligenceThe Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
- List of Pakistani journalists