As Pakistan's military fights escalating battles with Islamic extremists and with the country's civilian government, the country's journalists, especially those who are critical of the military, are increasingly caught in the crossfire.

An attack last weekend on the home of a prominent Pakistani columnist underscored the growing danger that Pakistani and foreign reporters are facing in Pakistan. No one was injured in the Nov. 27 incident, in which a gunman fired at six shots at the home of Kamran Shafi, who writes for the English-language Dawn newspaper, while he and his family slept.