Scores of journalist on Tuesday staged a protest at the National Press Club (NPC) against the attack on the bureau chief of a private TV channel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and to demand the release of a journalist detained by Israeli forces in Palestine.
The protestors chanted slogans against the federal and provincial governments. The Peshawar team of Khyber News were attacked and tortured by unknown miscreants in the high security zone in front of Nishtar Hall the other day. Bureau Chief Hazrat Khan was seriously injured while others received minor wounds.
Increasing incidents of violence against journalists was a sign of the failure of the government, the protesters said. They added that after coming into power, the incumbent government had made tall claims about ensuring the safety of journalists, but had failed to deliver. They vowed to continue sacrificing, but not to bow before the democratic dictators. Khyber TV Bureau Chief Hasan Khan informed the gathering that the common man had no access to the place where his colleague had been attacked, adding that the area was home to many government offices. He said KPK information minister was responsible for the attacks on the journalist community.
RIUJ President Tahir Rathor said, “This brazen daytime attack, in the heart of a major city, shows just how vulnerable Pakistan’s journalists are to violence. It is clear that the government is unwilling, or unable, to address the attacks against journalists, often leaving members of the media to fend for themselves.”
Enraged journalists said that the state terrorism should end and warned to stage country-wide protests if attacks on journalists persisted.
Foreign journalists also joined the protest to condemn the arrest of Algazeera correspondent Samir Allawi by the Israeli forces in Palestine. They said Israeli forces alleged Samir of being affiliated with Hamas while he was not.
However, the protestors demanded that immediate steps be taken to stop violence against the media community, and to ensure an environment which was safe for journalists. The protestors also demanded the immediate release of an Islamabad-based foreign journalist.
