Threatened: Pakistan’s legacy of authoritarianism means that no one pays much attention to the growing roster of threats to journalists. — 123rf.com BEING a journalist in Pakistan is a dangerous proposition. A noose is put around your neck when you begin and it is tightened gradually as journalists you know are “disappeared” or harassed or murdered outright. Many of those who manage to stay afloat are targets. The tiniest act of rebellion or upsetting someone powerful can constitute a real threat for the country’s journalists. Journalist Ajay Laalwani was in a barbershop on the evening of March 18 when two motorcycles and a car with four passengers drove up and sprayed Laalwani with bullets before speeding away. Laalwani was taken to hospital but did not survive the attack. Ashiq Jatoi, the editor of Laalwani’s newspaper, said he believes that Laalwani’s writing and reporting could have motivated the killing. Once again, whether this is true will remain mired in mystery. Past tensions between the reporter and law enforcement were mentioned and the fear that the investigation might not be carried out the way it should was expressed.