Essa Khan Khel
This year in February we observed the seventh death anniversary of my beloved brother Musa Khankhel Shaheed. We have yet to see any progress into his murder case. The committee formed by the government to probe the dastardly killing has not informed us about the investigations so far. This is unfathomable keeping in mind that relative peace has returned to Swat valley for so long now.
We have a valid compliant against the government. They are not doing anything to reduce our pain. Keeping the murder probe aside, the former PPP government led by Asif Ali Zardari had promised us a piece of land in Islamabad; even this has not materialise yet. This should not have been difficult for a government, but even if it can’t keep this simple promise how can it be serious in getting to the murderers. Musa Khan Khel’s family only wants justice and they have not yet got it.
Musa Khan Khel was a brave journalist who always strived for exclusive news. He joined journalism in the year 2000 when the evil of militancy started rearing its ugly head in the picturesque Swat valley.
His parents, brothers and sisters and family till today remember him fondly. Can you imagine that I have not been able to stay in my parent’s house even since this cold blooded murder.  I only go there to visit my parents during daytime. And whenever I go there we all somehow remember him and start talking about his life made short. We even today feel that as if we were grieved today. Months after each February get difficult for us to spend. People start forgetting about their dead with time but we can’t do that. Each February reminds us of him and the unfinished agenda of bringing his killers to justice.
You can’t even imagine my state while writing this. I can’t stop my tears. If younger brother cries so much even today, you can imagine the state of his parents when their beloved son was killed in February 2009 while covering a rally of hardline Maulana Sufi Mohammad in Swat. He was associated with a private news TV channel. In the past 10 years, 370 journalists were murdered around the world; in 90 per cent of cases, there are no convictions. United Nations and several human rights organisations say these unchecked, unsolved murders of journalists are one of the greatest threats to press freedom today.
The author is younger brother of late Musa Khan Khel.
Caption: File photo Musa Khan Khel