KHYBER (National Times) A senior journalist working with a private TV channel was gunned down in Landi Kotal on Tuesday.

Khalil Jibran was targeted by an armed duo on a motorcycle when he was returning home, Khyber District Police Officer (DPO) Salim Abbas said.

The DPO said that the journalist’s car broke down on a road near his residence in Mazreena area, where unidentified gunmen emerged, dragged him out of his car and shot him.

Jibran, who had previously served as president of the Landi Kotal Press Club, died instantly.

The assailants fled after the incident. Jibran’s friend Sajjad, who was with him, also sustained gunshot wounds.

Jibran’s body was taken to a Landi Kotal hospital for medico-legal procedures.

DPO Abbas claimed that Jibran had been receiving threats from terrorists.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took notice of the incident and ordered immediate arrest of the culprits.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the murder.

Media organisations also denounced the murder and demanded that the KP government arrest the killers at the earliest.

In a statement, the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) condemned the gruesome murder of the Khyber News reporter and demanded the KP chief minister and federal interior minister to bring Jibran’s killers to justice.

The association criticised the higher authorities for their failure to stop such incidents.

Journalists remain at the receiving end, facing torture, abductions and threats across the country.