On May 21, Kamran Dawar, a freelance journalist based in the North Waziristan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was killed by unidentified assailants in front of his home in Tappi village.
A few days before his death, Dawar received threats from militant groups in the region due to reporting about the groups, according to Umar Wazir, a local journalist based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Wazir mentioned that Dawar reached out to him just days before the murder, expressing deep concern over serious threats to his life and seeking support.
Dawar had been reporting about violence in the North Waziristan region, including attacks on tribal elders, other targeted killings in the area, and an attack on a former MP from the region.
Gohar Ali Khan, a senior journalist and provincial coordinator of Freedom Network for Khyber Pakhthnkhwa and Tribal Districts told CPJ that Darwar was killed for his reporting about the North Waziristan region with a particular focus on militancy in the area.
Dawar had no personal enemies and maintained good relations with both Pakistani government agencies and the National Democratic Movement (NDM) during his time as an active journalist, according to a first information report (FIR), a document that opens an investigation, reviewed by CPJ. The FIR, filed with North Waziristan police on May 21, also stated that he was killed by unidentified armed assailants.
Mohsin Dawar (no relation), a former Member of Parliament from Waziristan, said that the journalist faced threats against his life “for his critical views against militancy.”
Kamran Dawar, who also ran the popular Waziristan TV on Facebook with 147,000 followers, had covered social issues on his digital outlet.
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on CPJ’s classification of Dawar’s killing as a targeted murder.