Private TV channel’s news team attacked
A reporting team of “SAMAA TV”, a private news channel, was attacked by a group of miscreants who manhandled the crew for one and half hour and warned them of dire consequences if they continued coverage in the area. They also attacked the channel’s van, setting it ablaze on 28 July 2011 in Karachi, the capital city of Sindh province of Pakistan.
The reporting team included reporter Ghayasuddin, cameraman Faisal Aghai and driver Zahid Shah.
Ghayasuddin told Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) that he together with his cameraman and driver was on the coverage of a police operation against a car lifting group in the area, when a group of armed men attacked their van. Ghayasuddin asked why the van had been attacked; they used abusive language and demanded that the reporting team leave the area.
Ghayasuddin said as they were packing up the equipment, miscreants again attacked their van and pelted stones and resorted to aerial firing. Suddenly police vanished from the scene. The members of the crew tried to save their vehicle and equipment. The whole crew managed to hide at a vacant house. Then, miscreants set the TV channel’s van ablaze and besieged the house. Ghayasuddin then informed the police and the SAMAA TV office about the incident.
Police reached the scene and took them out of the house after one and half hour.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) expressed deep concerned over the attack on media crew and demanded of the government to take serious notice of the attack and called for action against the culprits.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:7/29/2011
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