Lawyers again attack on journalists in Lahore
On October 2, 2010, Lawyers of the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) thrashed journalists including Geo News reporter Ahmed Faraz, Geo News cameraman Hanan Younis and City-42 TV cameraman Maqsood Ahmed Butt in the court premises in Lahore, the capital city of the Punjab province. The lawyers also prevented journalists from discharging their professional duties.
According to press reports, the lawyers on the call of the LBA staged a demonstration against police and to condemn the beating and arresting of lawyers on Friday. When media teams came there to cover the protest a group of lawyers allegedly without any provocation attacked the journalists, alleging that the journalists were portraying negative image of lawyers.
Faraz told PPF that lawyers stopped them from covering the event, used abusive language for journalists and slapped across the face of Faraz and Butt. They also snatched cameras from Butt and Younis and smashed them.
Sarmad Bashir, President of Lahore Press Club told PPF that after that incident journalists have boycotted the coverage of lawyers’ events. Journalists also staged protest demonstration and demanded to take serious action against the lawyers responsible for the attack. He said journalists have the footages of lawyers, attacking the journalists.
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has strongly condemned the attacks on journalists in Lahore. President Khushnood Ali Khan, Secretary General Aamer Mahmood demanded fair and free investigation into the incident. CPNE has also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the issue. The CPNE also appealed to senior lawyers to ensure such incidents are not repeated in future.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed its shock and dismay over the intolerance displayed by a group of lawyers in Lahore. Terming the incident a direct attack on independence of media, the PFUJ regretted that assaults on media persons by the lawyers during coverage have become a routine matter. It said this was the seventh incident in a row in which lawyers assaulted media persons.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:10/4/2010
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