Karachi police initiate preliminary investigation after journalist receives alleged threats

The Karachi police launched a preliminary investigation on Saturday after reports surfaced of two individuals allegedly threatening a journalist at his residence.

A statement from the Crime Reporters Association (CRA) condemned what it said were “threatening activities of two suspicious persons” at the house of senior journalist Faraz Khan, associated with The News International, in Federal B Industrial Area.

Referring to a video of the alleged incident making the rounds on social media, the CRA said: “The two persons can be clearly seen in the CCTV footage, who knocked on the door of the house and threatened the family of serious consequences, which caused panic and fear among the family.”

It said the incident had caused “serious concern” among the affected family and wider journalist community, adding that it had immediately informed the police and high-ranking officials.

“Taking immediate action, Federal B Industrial Area station house officer has reached the house … where the police authorities have taken evidence in their custody and the statements of the affected family are also being recorded.”

“The association demands that the strictest action be taken against such elements in accordance with the law so that the threats to journalists and their families can be addressed,” added the CRA statement.

Central Senior Superintendent of Police Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi similarly told media that police officers visited the residence and took the CCTV footage for investigation purposes.

He said investigators were waiting for the journalist to lodge a case to initiate legal proceedings about the alleged threats.

Last month, the attempted target killing of a mediaNewsTV journalist was foiled following the arrest of the suspects by the Rawalpindi police.

Journ­alists and media professionals have faced a tightening landscape in 2025 for free expression, according to a report by the Pakistan Press Foundation.

Reporters Without Borders has ranked Pakistan as one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists owing to its high rate of impunity for the killers of journalists.

According to a report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, 87 journalists were killed in Pakistan between 2006 and 2023, with only two of those cases “resolved”.