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User:Crtew/Azamat Ali Bangash

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Azamat Ali Bangash
Born1976?
Hangu District, Pakistan
DiedApril 17, 2010
Kohat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Other namesAzmat Ali Bangash Shaheed
OccupationCorrespondant
Years active1998 - 2010
Notable creditSamaa TV
Children1 son and 2 daughters

Azamat Ali Bangash or sometimes spelled Azmat (1976 – 17 April 2010), a Pakistani national, was working as a correspondant for Samaa TV at an internal displacement center in the Kohat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan when he was killed in a double suicide bombing. At the time, he was covering food distribution at the Shiite refugee camp at Kuccha Pakka.[1][2][3]

Bangash was well known for his reporting on the Tehreek-e-Taliban in the tribal areas of Pakistan.[4]

The year 2010 marked the year Pakistan became the deadliest country in the world for reporters and suicide bombings around Pakistan acccounted for one half of those deaths.[5] Bangash was killed within two days of his colleague Arif Malik, a Samaa TV camera operator, who was also killed in a suicide bombing.[2]

Death

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On 17 September 2010, Azamat Ali Bangash was among 41 people killed and around 65 injured during a suicide bombing in the Kohat district of the province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[6][7][8] Azamat Ali Bangash received fatal injuries and died at the Kohat Development Authority Hospital.

The suicide bombing incident involved 2 bombers who detonated their devices separately after entering a crowd of people disguised as women in burqas. The first bomber blew himself up at 11:55 a.m. in a crowd of people collecting relief supplies, with the second bomber detonating his bomb a few minutes later in a crowd of people helping the dead and injured.[6][7][8] Eyewitnesses placed Azamat Ali Bangash in the second explosion as he was covering the aftermath of the first explosion.

The Shiites in the camp were from the Mani Khel and Baramad Khel tribes from around Orakzai, Pakistan, and reportedly were fleeing violence from the Talban, military offensives, and drone attacks.[7]

Responsibility for the two attacks was claimed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Alami, a militant Punjabi Taliban organization.[9]

Context

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Pakistan, in particular the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial area that Azamat Ali Bangash died in, is recognized as a dangerous area. Pakistan has sent military troops to the border over the last few years to build fences along the treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan, in an attempt to separate the country from the Afghan tribal areas where many foreign terrorists are based and many illegal activities are carried out.[10]

According to Rehan Khattak, a fellow member of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Azamat Ali Bangash had been receiving death threats from Taliban militants following his reportng about the death of Taliban Chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was believed to haved been killed in a drone attack but was later believed to have survived the attack.[4]

Impact

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Azamat Ali Bangash made a significant contribution toward the reporting of security operations against Pakistani Taliban militants. He contributed a number of invaluable news stories, including his reporting of the death of wanted Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who had been responsible for many terrorist acts, taking the lives of hundreds of civilians and security personnel. This report allegedly made Azamat Ali Bangash one of the most wanted people by the Taliban.

Azamat Ali also shed light on a number of other Taliban activities through video, including the murder of an FC Constable by militants in Orakzai, Pakistan and the public floggings of two men and a teenager by the Taliban Chief Mulla Toofan,[4] which was seen around the world.

Those reports created an awareness about the Taliban leadership and the way they rule.[11]

Reactions

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The death of Azamat Ali Bangash was met with great sadness throughout the media community, in particular in the Asia-Pacific area. Muhammad Riaz, managing director of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), made his grief known and a condolence meeting was also held by APP to commemorate Bangash's life and achievements.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressed their anger at the death occurring during professional duties and pleaded with the government to provide journalists with more support.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Asia Programme Coordinator gave his condolences to friends, family and colleagues of Bangash's, and also stated "Journalists are increasingly at risk with the escalating violence in Pakistan."[1]

Career

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Azamat Ali Bangash first took up journalism in 1998, working for a number of newspapers and later TV stations. He worked for Express TV and Aaj TV and he was working with state-run APP, PTV and Samaa TV when he was killed. Bangash worked primarily as a video and internet correspondent, but also worked as a camera operator. He was best known for his breaking of the story of Taliban Chief, Hakimullah Mehsud which shocked and stunned the media world.[12]

Personal

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Azamat Ali Bangash, the son of Ali Sarwar Bangash, was married with three children, a 6 year old son and two daughters, aged 1 and 3 years. He was born in the Hangu District, Pakistan in 1976?, before moving to the Peshawar and Islamabad areas of Pakistan.

References

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  1. ^ a b Committee to Protect Journalists. 2010. “Another Pakistani TV Journalist Dies in Suicide Bombing.” Retrieved September 25th, 2011 CPJ
  2. ^ a b Reporters Without Borders. 2010. “Taliban Claim Journalist's Murder in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.” Retrieved September 25th, 2011 RSF
  3. ^ International Federation of Journalists. 2011. “Gunning for Media Journalists and Media Staff Killed in 2010.” Retrieved September 25th, 2011 IFJ
  4. ^ a b c Khattak, Rehan. 2010. "In Memory of Azamat Bangash Shaheed." Press Pakistan, April 17th. Retrieved September 25th, 2011 Press Pakistan.
  5. ^ The Express Tribune with the International Herald Tribune. "In the line of duty: Pakistan deadliest in South Asia for journalists." December 29, 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2011 Express Tribune
  6. ^ a b CNN Wire Staff. April 18, 2010. "Dozens killed in attack on Pakistan camp." CNN. Retrieved 8 December 2011 CNN
  7. ^ a b c Channel News Asia. "Suicide bombers kill 41 at Pakistan displaced camp." April 17, 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2011 Channel News Asia
  8. ^ a b Outlook India. "Burqa Clad Suicide Bombers Kill 41 in Pak." April 17, 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2011 Outlook India
  9. ^ Ataturk, Shahrah Kamal (April 19, 2010). "Journalist Killed in Suicide Blasts in Kohat". Pakistan Press Foundation-IFEX,. Retrieved 25 September 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. ^ Central Intelligence Agency. 2011. "Pakistan" The World Factbook. Retrieved September 25th, 2011 CIA World Factbook.
  11. ^ Daily Times. "Hakeemullah, living or dead, has a potential successor." February 7, 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2011 Daily Times
  12. ^ Yusufzai, Ashfaq. 2010. "Pakistan: Journalist Killing Reflect Sorry State of Media - PFUJ." Asia Media Forum. Retrieved September 25th, 2011. Asia Media Forum.
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