Afghan journalist Ahmed Hanayesh was shot by a group of armed men in Islamabad on the evening of April 3, sustaining serious injuries to his leg and head, media reports said.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), urge the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation and ensure the perpetrators are brought to swift justice.

Hanayesh, the founder of private media outlets Radio Kahkashan and Radio Donya and a journalist with the United States Congress-funded Radio Azadi, was shot by two gunmen on a motorcycle while returning home in Islamabad’s south-eastern residential G6 area at approximately 11:00pm on April 3.

The journalist was shot twice in the leg, with another bullet grazing his head, and was transferred to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment. According to the AIJU, Hanayesh has since received treatment, and is in a stable condition. The motive behind the attack is unknown, read a statement issued by the International Federation of Journalists

Hanayesh left Afghanistan to live in Islamabad since January 2023, and is reportedly staying in a hotel to prepare for a trip to Germany. Before fleeing Afghanistan, Hanayesh was a member of the Afghanistan Journalist Centre’s Board of Directors, having since been involved with exiled Afghan media organisations.

On March 14, senior Pakistani journalist Sagheer Ahmed Laar was killed after three unidentified men on a motorcycle shot into a pharmacy. While a First Information Report was lodged by his brother, Jaleel Ahmed, no suspects have been apprehended in relation to the killing.

The AIJU said:“The leadership of the AIJU, while wishing Mr. Hanayesh good health and recovery as soon as possible, requests the authorities of Pakistan and the journalistic institutions of that country to take this issue seriously and identify its perpetrators.”

The IFJ said: “Journalists must be free to operate without fear of retribution for their work and those responsible for this attack must not allowed to escape with impunity. The IFJ calls on the Pakistani authorities to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the shooting of Ahmed Hanayesh and take immediate steps to guarantee the safety of working journalists.”