KALAYA, Sept 14 A senior journalist was gunned down outside the Hangu press club on Tuesday morning.

Police said Mesri Khan was entering the press club in the morning when he came under fire. He was taken to the DHQ hospital in Hangu when he died after some time.

An FIR against has been registered against unidentified people.

Hangu's SP Abdur Rasheed told Dawn that a police team had been formed to arrest the killers.

Mesri Khan, 48, had been working as a journalist for about three decades. He was also a social worker of the area and played an active role in highlighting local problems.

According to his son Farooq, Mesri Khan had been receiving threats for quite some time and his office had been attacked three times.

Local journalists described Mesri as a brave man who fearlessly carried out his professional duty.

He is the second journalist of Hangu killed this year. In April, TV journalist Azmat Ali Bangash was killed in a suicide attack on a relief camp.

The Hangu Union of Journalists, Hangu press club and Tribal Union of Journalists have condemned the murder of Mesri Khan and announced a three-day mourning.

They set a three-day deadline for the administration to arrest the killers.

A large number of people, including government officials, journalists and prominent figures, attended Mesri's funeral.