Journalists walk out of Senate against colleague’s abduction | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Journalists walk out of Senate against colleague’s abduction

They expressed dissatisfaction over the statement given by Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich that efforts were being made to recover the abducted journalist.
They also expressed their sentiments to Minister of Sate for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem and Minister of State for Education Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli who met them in the press lounge.
They informed the minister that Sohail Qalander, the resident editor of Daily Express was abducted 22 days back from Peshawar and the government had failed to recover him.

Earlier, Warraich said that efforts were being made to re­cover the abducted senior journalist. He said that five persons including Gul Dad, Zer Wali and Amin had been identified as alleged kidnappers, who, on January 2nd, kidnapped Qalander ad his comrade from Peshawar.
He said that police, with the help of sniffer dogs, had recovered a car identified to be Qalander’s from the backside of the Degree College of Hayatabad from where the police reached shopkeeper Nazar Muhammad.
He said Nazar had been arrested and he had admitted that the kidnappers came to his shop on the same night with the abducted persons He said that dozens of people of the abductors’ tribe had been arrested and hoped that the abducted journalist would soon be recovered. He also urged the government of MMA to extend its cooperation in this regard.

Later, the journalists ended the walkout after assurance from Tariq Azeem and Anisa Zeb that the issue would again be raised on floor of the House. Both the ministers assured the journalists that the federal government was taking the issue very seriously and was in touch with the provincial government, NWFP governor and IGP.

Source: The Nation
Date:1/25/2007