Television news team attacked while covering fake cold drink factory
A team of “Express News”TV channel, was fired upon by unidentified men in Orangi town of Karachi on October 6, 2010. The team was attacked as they were filming a factory producing fakecold drinks for their weekly programmes “Consumer Crime”. The news team included Huma Bukhari, the programme host, Associate Producer Rehan Hussain and cameramen S.N. Changaizi and Kamran Zai.
Associate Producer Hussain told Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) that the media team, accompanied by provincial government’s Food Department personnel, was filming the fake cold drinks being produced when suddenly they heard the sound of gun shots outside the factory. The media team saw eight armed persons engaged firing on the factory and on vehicles parked outside. The food department personnel ran away while the media team took cover in a room.
Hussain said the attackers grabbed an Inspector of Food Department Nadeem Bhatti as he came out but he was able to escape. Hussain said after that armed men entered the factory and started firing on the walls and on glass bottles indiscriminately. One of them hit Hussain’s foot with the Kalashnikov butt and grasped his neck. They demanded valuables, snatched mobile phone of host Bukhari and wallet of Hussain. Cameraman Changaizi refused to hand over the camera but they took out the video tape before letting the media team go.
When media team was going in Express News van, armed persons followed them on motorcycles and again opened fire on them; two bullets entered in the van’s back seat but no one was hurt.
Hussain said he suspected the firing was carried out by the owners of the factory who successfully forced the media team and Food department officials to leave without collecting evidence.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:10/7/2010
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