13 October 1998
Alert
Afghan journalist survives assassination attempt
Incident details
Majeeda Bibi journalist(s) attacked(PPF/IFEX) - According to PPF, on 6 October 1998, Afghan journalist Majeeda
Bibi survived an attempt on her life when two unidentified persons fired at
her while she was en route to a local market. The incident occured at 5 p.m.
(local time) in Peshawar, Pakistan. The journalist escaped unhurt.
Bibi had received a number of threatening letters in recent months.
According to press reports, she suspected that the attack was aimed at
forcing her to give up her British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) job. A
criminal complaint of attempted murder was registered with the police, who
advised her to remain indoors until investigations were completed.
Bibi has been residing in Peshawar as an Afghan refugee for the past eight
years, and is presently employed by the BBC as part-time resource person for
a Pushto/Persian programme entitled "Educational Drama". She was earlier
associated with the Pushto daily "Hewad".
She started getting threats some three months back, when she was stopped by
six persons and told to give up her profession. She told them that she was
the sole bread earner in her family as her husband, a Kabul university
professor, was hanged in Afghanistan during the rule of Babrak Karmal.
Further to this incident, Bibi received five letters asking her to leave her
job, most recently on 25 September.
Source
Pakistan Press Foundation
Press Centre
Shahrah Kamal Ataturk
Karachi 74200
Pakistan
ppf (@) pakistanpressfoundation.org
Phone: +92 21 263 3215
Fax: +92 21 221 7069