Police attacked newspaper’s office in Peshawar | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Police attacked newspaper’s office in Peshawar

The main office of daily “Mashriq”, a leading Urdu newspaper of Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, was attacked by Police on August, 6, 2011. They tortured the staff members including senior journalists Sohrab Khan and Asif Nisar Ghayasi.

Saif-ul-Islam, the president of Peshawar Press Club told Pakistan Press Foundation that about 100 policemen from Fakirabad and Ashnghri police stations attacked the office of daily “Mashriq” and brutally tortured its security guards. When journalists of the daily asked the reasons of manhandling, the cops also started beating the journalists at the behest of their Station House Officers (SHOs).

Journalists took out protest rally. Wearing black armbands they chanted slogans against police highhandedness. Large number of people from different walks of life joined the rally to show solidarity with media. Rallies and protest demos were also held by journalists in other towns of the province. The protestors demanded immediate action against SHO Asif Sharif of Ashnghri police station and SHO Abid-ur-Rehman of Fakirabad police station.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Central Union of Journalists (CUJs), Attock and Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) strongly condemned the attack and asked the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to take instant notice of said police highhandedness against the newspaper office.

Journalists’ unions also announced to observe ‘black day’ on Monday, August, 8, 2011.

Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Ameer Haider Hoti Khan has condemned the attack on daily, suspended both the SHOs and ordered a probe into the incident.

Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:8/8/2011