KARACHI: Pakistani journalist and anchor Imtiaz Mir was injured on Sunday night after he was shot in a targeted attack in Karachi, a senior police officer said as government officials condemned the attack and called for the culprits to be arrested. 

Mir, who hosts the show “Aaj Ki Baat With Imtiaz Mir” on Metro 1 News channel in Karachi, was shot on by two persons who were on a motorcycle Sunday night in the city’s Malir area, multiple media reports said. Police were unable to identify the shooters. 

However, media reports claimed the assailants included a man and a woman. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Qur’angi Tariq Nawaz, Mir was admitted to a nearby hospital after the attack. The police official said the journalist is currently being treated and his condition is improving. 

“It is certain that he was deliberately attacked with the intention to kill,” Nawaz told Arab News. “This was not the result of resistance to any robbery or snatching attempt.”

Nawaz said it remains unclear why Mir was targeted, adding that his driver told police that the anchor had an ongoing feud in his hometown. 

“We are investigating the case from multiple angles and are not drawing any conclusions at this time,” Nawaz said. 

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon strongly condemned the attack in a statement, saying that targeting journalists was “unacceptable.”

“The Sindh government is committed to ensuring the safety of journalists,” Memon said. “The perpetrators of the attack on Imtiaz Mir will be brought to justice as soon as possible.”

Sindh Home Minister Zia ul Hasan Lanjar took notice of the incident and ordered police to arrest the culprits. 

“Protecting the lives and property of citizens is the government’s top priority,” Lanjar said in a statement on Sunday night. 

Pakistani journalists have faced violence frequently in the past. As per a report released by the Pakistan-based media and development sector watchdog Freedom Network last year, 184 incidents of violence against journalists took place in the southern Sindh province between 2018 and 2023. These included the killings of 10 journalists.