Story highlights 7 journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2011; 8 in 2010

One of those killed exposed links between al Qaeda and the Pakistani navy

Another press freedom group cited 10 journalists killed in Pakistan in 2011

Pakistan is the world's deadliest country to work in for journalists, a dubious distinction it has earned for the second year in a row, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in its annual report.

Of the 43 journalists killed worldwide in direct relation to their work in 2011, seven died in Pakistan, the non-profit organization said on its website Tuesday. Eight journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2010, the group said.

Umar Cheema, a senior Pakistani journalist who was abducted and beaten last year, told CNN that the news was "alarming and unfortunate" and meant that "we are not out of the woods yet."

"Forces against the freedom of speech are against us and this is evidence that the establishment allows such forces to thrive within a culture of impunity," Cheema said.

The journalists killed in Pakistan in 2011 included Saleem Shahzad, a reporter for Asia Times Online, who exposed links between al Qaeda and the Pakistani navy in his book published after his death.

The CPJ report also said that Pakistan was the worst country in the world for finding justice for journalist deaths.

Another group, Reporters without Borders, documented 10 journalists killed in Pakistan in 2011, the highest number on its annual press freedom barometer.

The CPJ statement said it was still investigating another 35 journalist deaths worldwide to determine if they were work-related.