BLA Guns Down Khuzdar Journalist-cum-PPP Activist

The Baloch Hal News

KHUZDAR: A journalist from Khuzdar was gunned down by unidentified persons on Sunday afternoon.

According to the details, unknown attackers opened indiscriminate fire on Faiz Mohammad Sasoli near Faisal Hotel in Khuzdar District on Sunday afternoon. The journalist, who was driving his car along with some family members, died on the spot and failed to control the car due to his injuries. As a result, the car stormed into a neighboring shop and injured two other people sitting there.

Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has strongly condemned the target killing of Faiz Mohammad Sasoli and ordered the health department in Khuzdar district to provide necessary medical treatment to the injured people of the incident.

The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the killing. However, the underground organization did not relate the killing with the professional activities of Faiz Sasoli. It mentioned political and tribal role of the slain journalist which went against the interests of the Baloch freedom fighters which was the main reason for the killing.

Previously, another journalist working with Daily Azadi, Haji Wasi Ahmed, had also been killed in Khuzdar. Faiz is the third journalist from Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province to be killed during the ongoing armed conflict.

Dr. Chishti Mujahid, a journalist working with Weekly Akhbar-e-Jahan, had also been killed inQuetta two years ago for which the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had accepted responsibility.

A local source told The Baloch Hal that Faiz had been receiving threats from certain quarters in the past and he had been targeted twice but he had survived the attacks meant to claim his life.

A text message issued by “Freelance News”, a network that caters for SMS news of Baloch nationalist groups, termed Faiz Sasoli as a ring leader of Baloch Defense Armed Group (BDAG), which has been operating against Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal.

Faiz was a leader of the Pakistan People’s Party and contested the general elections of 2008 against Usman Advocate for a seat of the National Assembly.