Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), on Thursday released the list of those journalists, who have been found injured during Saturday's devastating earthquake in Muzzafarabad and Balakot, while expressing concern over the missing journalists and condoling with them over the death of their families members.
The information received by the PFUJ from its affiliated unions till Wednesday, revealed that the houses of most of the correspondents based in Muzaffarabad and Balakot have been destroyed in the quake and most of them lost their family members.
According to a press release of the PFUJ, the journalists, mostly local correspondents who have been affected in Balakot include Khurshid Zaman, of Daily Muhasib (seriously injured, seven members of family dead, house destroyed), Qazi Asad Israeli of Daily Nawa-e-Waqat (injured, house destroyed), M. Fareed of Daily Ausaf (three children dead, wife injured), Javed Iqbal, freelance (injured, wife dead, house destroyed), Malik Naushad of Daily Assas, Islamabad (missing, house destroyed), Azhar Awan of Daily Aaj, Abbottabad (four members of the family dead, house destroyed), Rashid Awan (injured, four family members dead, house destroyed), Shahjehan, correspondent for Daily Shumal (missing, house destroyed), and Naseer Anwar, correspondent for Daily Ausaf (missing house destroyed).
The affected journalists of Muzaffarabad include Khwaja Mohasin of Daily Jinnah (injured, house destroyed), Wahid Iqbal (house destroyed), Abdur Rasheed Malik, Editor Daily Muhasib (injured, wife dead, house destroyed), Akhlaq Sagar of Daily Siasaat (five members of the family dead, house destroyed), Shazad Afredi of INP wire-service (entire family dead, house destroyed), Jhenagir Awan freelance (missing), Jehangir reporter Muhasib (missing), Raja Zafar, Resident Editor Muhasib (three family members dead, house destroyed), Shahzad Dawood reporter Daily Ausaf (injured, house destroyed), Mawish Gul, Daily Ausaf (injured, entire family dead, house destroyed), Gulzar Usmani of Daily Khabrein (injured, house destroyed), Akhlaq Bukhair of Daily Hamdard (house destroyed), and Javed Chaudhry of Daily Azkar (four family members died, house destroyed).
The journalists based in Karachi or Islamabad, whose families suffered losses include Naim Khokar of Daily Jang Karachi (44 family members died), Ahmed Hasan of Dawn, Islamabad (two daughters, brother and uncle dead), Waqar Fani of Nawa-e-Waqat (eight family members dead), Sardar Jehanzeb of Daily Jinnah (wife, father-in-law and two other family members dead), Umer Farooq of Daily Islam (mother dead), Mushtaq Minhas, Aaj TV (sister missing), M. Sajjad of Daily Ausaf (mother dead), Imran Abbasi (two family members dead), Zahoor Alam, Editor Daily Ausaf (brother and uncle dead), Raja Asghar, Daily Dawn, Islamabad (brother dead), Khaliq Keyani of Daily Dawn (brother dead), Zahid Jamil (two brothers dead).
The PFUJ expressed its heartfelt condolence with all those journalists who have lost their families and assured support for those whose houses have been destroyed or in injured condition.
PFUJ praised the efforts of the Abbottabad Union of Journalists (AUJ) and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), who were collecting data and in touch with the affected newsmen.
PFUJ President Pervez Shaukat and Secretary General Mazhar Abbas appealed to the newspaper owners, people from different section of the society to come forward and help them in this hour of grief. People can contact the PFUJ Secretary General on email:-mazhar_abbas58yahoo.com or abbas.mazhargmail.com. They can also contact AUJ President Shahid Chaudhry at e-mail shahid_journalisthotmail.com.