LANDI KOTAL: Demanding the forthwith termination of the Khasadar force, journalists, leaders of political parties and tribal elders categorically condemned the brutal act of Khasadars who severely tortured a local journalist, snatching camera and cell phone from him on Monday.
Tribal journalist Shamsul Amin Pirzada was busy in covering a protest held against local National Data Base and Registration (NADRA) office in Landi Kotal when political tehsildar’s driver, identified as Khasadar Sarfaraz Afridi and his accomplices, beat him with their gun butts and iron rods to stop him from the coverage of the protest.
Shamsul Amin received multiple injuries on his head, backbone and neck and was rushed to agency headquarters hospital in Landi Kotal where he was provided with medical treatment.
Khasadar Sarfaraz also snatched cell phone and camera from the journalist and used immoral and unethical words against him.
Landi Kotal based journalists, political parties’ leaders and local elders met with the Political Tehsildar Tehseenullah and recorded their protest against the immoral and illegal act of his driver.
They told the officer that it was the duty of journalists to cover every event to raise public issues, and categorically condemned the brutal act by Khasadars. They also told the officer that Khasadar Sarfaraz had also trashed another journalist and an elder a few months ago in Landi Kotal.
Meanwhile, journalists from Khyber Agency held a meeting in Landi Kotal Press Club in which they discussed the incident. The meeting was chaired by senior journalist Ashrafuddin Pirzada.
They demanded that the Khyber Agency Political Agent Khalid Mehmood should take notice of the growing incidents of brutality against local journalists. They also requested the political agent to forthwith issue transfers orders of Sarfaraz Afridi and said that Sarfaraz was a resident of Bara and should be posted in Bara tehsil.
