Ghani orders probe into journalist Nekzad’s murder

 KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday condemned the assassination of journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad and asked security organs to investigate the incident and punish those involved.

Nekzad died in hospital after being shot injured by unknown gunmen in the capital of southern Ghazni province on Monday. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing and the Taliban said they considered it a loss for the country.

A statement from the Presidential Palace said President Ghani condemned the killing of Nekzad, a former Al Jazeera reporter and head of Ghazni union of journalists.

Nekzad was travelling in a car when unknown gunmen shot him dead near his home using a silenced pistol.

The president said targeting civilians, public facilities and media workers were attacks on humanity.

The Afghan government always stressed protection of journalists and supporting them and other media workers were his main responsibilities, Ghani said.

He directed security organs to investigate the nature of the attack and arrest the perpetrators. He also shared his sympathy with the family of Nekzad.

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) also condemned the assassination of Nekzad and said, “Assassination of journalists and media workers shows the enemy fears freedom of speech and public awareness about their ominous plans and crimes.”

He said journalists were a defenseless and vulnerable class in society but they were committed to their responsibilities.

Meanwhile, former president Hamid Karzai also denounced the incident and said, “I was informed with great sorrow that one of our talented journalists and head of Ghazni Journalists Union (Rahmatullah Nekzad) is martyred in an armed attack in (Ghazni) province.”

Journalists’ institutes also condemned the assassination of Nekzad. Abdul Moeed Hashemi, head of Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSF), denounced the attack and said that the international community was doing nothing to take action against such crimes.

Nai, an organization supporting free media in Afghanistan, also denounced the attack and said the government had failed to protect Afghan journalists in the country’s big and small cities.

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