KARACHI: Frenzied mobs clashed with police, attacked the office of a TV channel in Karachi and the press club in Hyderabad as...
KARACHI: Frenzied mobs clashed with police, attacked the office of a TV channel in Karachi and the press club in Hyderabad as protesters took to streets after Friday prayers against the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri – who confessed to murdering former Punjab governor Salman Taseer.
Religious organisations took out rallies and held protest demonstrations in major cities of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Mardan, Kasur and elsewhere.
Angry protesters, mostly students of religious seminaries, vandalized shops in Karachi’s main electronics market in Saddar while a police station was attacked during a rally in Lahore’s Lower Mall area.
They pelted the office of Aaj TV with stones and damaged vehicles parked outside the office in Karachi.
Pakistan Broadcaster Association (PBA) condemned the attacks on media organisation and journalists, calling on the government to provide security to journalists.
In a statement, the PBA expressed complete solidarity with its member channel AAJ News against this act of violence.
“PBA terms this act as an attempt to curb freedom of expression and to discourage media from performing its constitutional responsibilities,” it said.
The PBA demanded of the government to initiate an immediate action to apprehend the attackers.
“PBA has continuously been drawing attention of the government towards the attacks on media houses, but so far there has been no action taken to either curb this violence or to provide security to media. PBA reiterates and urges the government to immediately take proper and effective measures in this respect,” the statement said.
Editors for Safety (EFS) also called on the federal and provincial governments to ensure security of journalists and media houses.