Covering a police raid: CID police attack Express News team
By Ahmed Jung
KARACHI: Up to 25 men from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) police attacked a reporter and cameraman from Express News who went to cover a raid in Ferozabad early Thursday morning.
Reporter Wasiq Mohammad was tipped off that the CID police would be conducting an operation to make arrests of criminals who have been living in the Jheel Park area in Ferozabad.
When Zohaib took out his camera to capture footage of the raid, four constables in plainclothes snatched his camera and broke it. They took away Zohaib’s mobile phone and began hitting him. When the team’s driver tried to intercede they hit him as well and handcuffed both the men.
“We tried to tell them that we are reporters with the Express News but they wouldnÂ’t listen,” said Wasiq. “They just kept us handcuffed until they finished their raid and then took off with our wallets and cell phones.”
The only explanation that the police gave was that the reporters did not have permission to record footage of the raid. They were said to be raiding the area for alleged suicide attackers. “If they had just asked us to leave we would have,” complained Wasiq, “We told them this wasn’t the right way to treat reporters.”
Later, Wasiq called a CID office and spoke to an officer who claimed he knew nothing about the raid but said that they could collect their wallets and mobiles. The journalists have asked them to pay damages of at least Rs50,000.
No one was seriously injured though the cameraman and driver suffered bruises.
CID SSP Aslam Khan condemned the assault and said he would take action. Information Minister Sharjil Memon promised an inquiry. “The Pakistan Peoples Party believes in the freedom of the press and [this] is shameful on the part of those whose basic duty is to protect us.”
Karachi Union of Journalists’ Siraj Ahmed and Hassan Abbas said that this incident exposed the high-handedness of the police. They have demanded that an inquiry commission.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ Amin Yusuf said that such incidents have become routine and would not be tolerated any more.
For their part, several political parties, including the Sunni Tehreek, Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Jamaat-e-Islami demanded action. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has called this attack a clear violation of the freedom of the press. Ironically, this happened on a day that the Committee to Protect Journalists was in Karachi to work with local journalists.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:5/6/2011
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