Hashim wins AFP's Kate Webb prize

Jan 14, 2019 at 10:20 pm by Staff


Pakistani freelance reporter Asad Hashim (33) has been named as the winner of AFP's 2018 Kate Webb Prize for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native country.

The prize, which is worth 3000 Euroa, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering global troublespots.

Hashim was recognised for a series of articles on ethnic Pashtuns and other groups caught up in the Pakistan military's fight against the Pakistan Taliban.

These included a report into enforced disappearances allegedly conducted by the military and a reporting mission to the South Waziristan tribal region - birthplace of Pakistan's Taliban - to look into the deadly civilian toll from landmine explosions.

AFP says the award also recognised his work on other highly sensitive issues, such as Pakistan's blasphemy laws and the country's judicial system. "These are challenging times for journalists in Pakistan and Asad Hashim's work stands out for the kind of courageous, independent reporting the Kate Webb Prize was created to recognise," AFP Asia-Pacific director Philippe Massonnet says.

"His deeply-researched articles tackle sensitive subjects with an admirable balance of passion, commitment and journalistic detachment."

The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in March.

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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