Hasnain Shah, a Pakistani journalist, killed outside a press club

According to multiple news reports and a report by Capital TV, two unidentified people on motorcycles shot and killed Hasnain Shah, a crime reporter for the privately-owned news channel Capital TV and a council member of the Lahore Press Club.

Two masked attackers opened fire on Shah seven times while he was sitting in his car at a traffic light outside the press club, a professional journalists' association, according to reports.

Journalist Hasnain Shah. Credit: Journalism Pakistan

According to Azam Chaudhry, president of the Lahore Press Club, the attack took place in an area heavily surrounded by surveillance cameras and police to send a chilling message to the journalist community in Lahore, Punjab's capital.

Azam Chaudhry, the newly-elected president of Lahore Press Club, said that it was a black day in the history of Lahore because a journalist had been shot and killed right in front of the club. He urged the government to turn Hasnain Shah's murder into a test case and to include it in high-profile cases to locate the suspects as soon as possible. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFJU) president, secretary-general, and treasurer have also condemned the incident. 

According to these reports, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar condemned the attack and ordered a probe. The police have opened an investigation into murder and terrorism, according to Capital TV.

Fayyaz Ahmed Dev, a police officer in Lahore's capital city, said all available resources will be used to apprehend the suspects. 

Pakistan ranked ninth in CPJ's Global Impunity Index for 2021, which highlights countries where journalists are murdered and their killers are not prosecuted.