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Death of Sadaf Naeem

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Sadaf Naeem (1982–30 October 2022) was a Pakistani journalist. She worked as a news reporter with Channel 5 from 2009 until her death. She died on 30 October 2022 at the age of 40 in an accident after falling from a container during the Azadi March II of the Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Grand Trunk Road, Lahore to Kamoke, Gujranwala.[1][2]

Sadaf Naeem
Born1982
Ichhra, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Died30 October 2022
Kamoke, Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan
Cause of deathFall from a container during the Azadi March
Occupation(s)Journalist, news reporter, model, TV host
Years active2009–2022
EmployerChannel 5 (2009–2022)
Known forReporting on Imran Khan's Azadi March
SpouseNaeem Bhatti (m. ?)
Children2

Life and career

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Sadaf was born in 1982[3] in Ichhra, Lahore, Punjab, and started her career as a model on different TV shows but later she joined Khabrain Media Group[4] and was at Channel 5 since 2009.[5] She had two brothers and one sister.[3] Sadaf was married to the press photographer Naeem Bhatti[6] and had 2 children.[3][7]

Death

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She died in an accident on 30 October 2022 after falling to death.[1] She was on her live coverage duty covering Imran Khan's Azadi March II.[8] It is common that reporters are invited up on the trucks.[7] While trying to cover the march in close proximity, she tried to climb a shipping container[9] aiming for an interview with Imran Khan.[10][3] Similarly as she did the day before.[11] After she fell on the ground she was run over by the truck carrying Imran Khan.[12][3] Even though an ambulance was called for and she was rushed to the nearby hospital[3] she was pronounced dead on arrival.[13] A journalist reported that a guard belonging to the protest pushed her before she fell.[14] Her husband deemed her death an accident[6] and signed a letter refraining from pressing charges to Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, a Minister of the Punjab Government.[14] She was buried in Lahore on 31 October.[15]

Investigation

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The Pakistani Minister of the Interior Rana Sanaullah deemed the Punjabi administration responsible to carry out a proper investigation.[11] Following,[11] a fact finding commission to investigate death of Naeem was announced by the Punjabi Minister of Law Raja Basharat.[16]

Domestic political reactions

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After becoming aware of her death, Imran Khan announced a stop to his Azadi March for the rest of the day.[3] The next day Khan, accompanied by PTI party officials, visited her family's residence in order to offer condolences to her family.[3] The Health Minister of Punjab Yasmin Rashid[17] and Shazia Marri the Pakistani Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety also paid a visit to the residence of Naeem's family to offer condolences.[18] Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif shared condolences with her family on Twitter[19] and announced Rs. 5 million in financial aid for her family.[20] Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi also expressed his condolences to the family and offered Naeem's daughter and husband a job in some department of the regional public administration.[21] Elahi also delivered them a cheque over Rs. 50 millions and the Punjabi Government decided to investigate the causes of Naeem's death.[22] Other Pakistani officials assured the state would cover the costs of Naeem's children upbringing and education.[9][10]

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) however, questioned Imran Khan if dead journalists were his "revolution".[23][24] Politicians of the Pakistani Government such as Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique accused the Punjabi administration that it has coerced Naeem's husband from pressing charges.[11]

International

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Referring to her death, the UNESCO General Secretary Audrey Azoulay deplored the incident and raised concerns on the working conditions for journalists in general.[25] UNESCO’s mandate to "promote the free flow of ideas by word and image" includes the protection of journalists and media workers against any forms of attacks and reprisals related to their duties.[26][27] The facts and circumstances surrounding this killing are categorized and archived online on UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists.[28] The Observatory archives publicly accessible information on all the journalists killed in relation to their duties since 1997, where the Director-General has issued a condemnation.[citation needed]

Reactions from journalists

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Journalists in Pakistan questioned if Naeem's death could have been prevented if media companies had invested more in the safety of their journalists.[9] The Pakistan Press Foundation saw her death as a caused by the non-implementation of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act.[29] The bill mandates that media organisations must provide journalists with safety training before they can be sent to work in any location.[30] According to the journalist watchdog Freedom Network the law was passed in 2021, but has not come into force since the committee supervising the law, has not been established yet.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Malik, Mansoor (31 October 2022). "Reporter falls to death trying to cover march". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. ^ Bukhari, Mubasher (30 October 2022). "Pakistani journalist crushed by Imran Khan's truck during coverage". Reuters. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Tarar, Mehr (8 November 2022). "Gone too soon, rest in peace, Sadaf Naeem". Gulf News. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Female reporter's death: Imran Khan ends Sadhoke phase of PTI long march". ARY News. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Imran visits deceased journalist Sadaf Naeem's family". The Express Tribune. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b Mahmood, Javed. "TV journalist Sadaf's husband terms the incident a 'mishap': Punjab govt giving Rs5 million to Sadaf's family". thetruthinternational.com. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Who Was Sadaf Naeem? Pakistani Journalist Crushed To Death". Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Journalist dies as Imran Khan's container runs over her". 24 News HD. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Punzier, Pallavi (31 October 2022). "A Journalist Was Crushed to Death After Falling From a Politician's Truck". Vice News. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Journalist crushed to death after she fell from truck during political march led by former Pakistan prime minister". CBS. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "Journalist Sadaf Naeem's husband refuses to lodge a case of her death". Samaa. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Pakistani journalist dies under Khan truck". Lismore City News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Woman journalist crushed to death under PTI's long march container". Dunya News. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Family of Journalist Sadaf 'Wants No Probe' Into IK Long March Death". The Friday Times - Naya Daur. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  15. ^ a b Akhtar, Jaleel (1 November 2022). "Pakistani Journalist's Death Raises Questions About Safety". Voice of America. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ Zafar, Tuba (1 November 2022). "Punjab govt constitutes a fact-finding committee on Sadaf Naeem Incident". Pakistan News International. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Yasmin Rashid visits residence of reporter killed in accident". Daily Times. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Shazia visits residence of late Sadaf Naeem". Pakistan Observer. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Reporter crushed to death under container at PTI long march". The Express Tribune. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  20. ^ Gabol, Imran; Sheikh, Bilal; Farooq, Umar (30 October 2022). "Channel 5 reporter Sadaf Naeem crushed to death by Imran's container during long march coverage". dawn.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  21. ^ "CM gives Rs 5m cheque to daughter of late journalist Sadaf Naeem". Pakistan Today. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Punjab govt to provide jobs to Sadaf Naeem's daughter, husband". ARY News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Family of Journalist Sadaf 'Wants No Probe' Into IK Long March Death". The Friday Times - Naya Daur. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Is this your 'bloody revolution' ? How dare you even use this word! Not even a day has passed since the Shahadat of Sadaf Naeem because of your lust for power". Twitter. PML - N. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  25. ^ O'Hagen, Clare. "Director-General deplores death of journalist Sadaf Naeem in Pakistan | UNESCO". UNESCO. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Communication and Information details". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Safety of journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  28. ^ "The Observatory of killed journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  29. ^ "Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) horrified at the preventable death of female reporter of television channel in a tragic accident while covering a political procession -". www.pakistanpressfoundation.org. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  30. ^ Khan, Muna (6 November 2022). "Media: The Safety of Journalists". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
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