JournalismPakistan.com | Published July 21, 2017 | JP Staff Reporter
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD –Saba Bajeer, a reporter with Channel 24, was Friday manhandled, threatened, and harassed by officials of Federal Investigation Agency and family members of SECP Chairman Zafar Hijazi at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Her colleagues said she had gone there to report on Hijazi, brought to the hospital after being arrested earlier in the day by FIA for tampering with records of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s companies.
Introducing herself, Saba took some pictures with her mobile phone. But the FIA officials told her to delete the photos. Although she trashed the images, one official tried to snatch her cell phone, yelled and manhandled her.
She was forced to tender a written apology and threatened with dire consequences. Later, she was kept confined to the hospital room.
Saba’s colleagues and other journalists reached the hospital after receiving a phone call from her.
More ugly scenes followed as the FIA officials and Hijazi’s family members beat up senior Channel 24 journalist Irfan Malik. They also broke three cameras.
The journalists later protested at the hospital. They called for action against the FIA officials and others involved. A FIR was not registered at the time of filing this report.
The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) condemned the incident and called for legal action against the FIA officials.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
November 28, 2024: Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has been abducted in Islamabad while investigating PTI protest deaths. Rights lawyers have filed a habeas corpus petition as charges of drug possession and terrorism spark outrage.
May 26, 2022: PTI supporters attack Jang/Geo offices in Islamabad & other cities amid D-Chowk protests—DSNG vans damaged, stones hurled amid anti-media slogans. Political-media tensions escalate.
May 16, 2022: Journalist Zahid Abbas Malik disappears in Lahore amid suspected agency involvement. PFUJ, press clubs demand action as nationwide protests loom over Pakistan's press freedom crisis.
April 30, 2022: DawnNews anchor Adil Shahzeb faces death threats & harassment, allegedly from PTI leaders. Journalists rally behind him as #JournalismIsNotACrime trends. Details on the escalating media safety crisis.
April 17, 2022: PTI supporters harass journalists, including women reporters, at Imran Khan's Karachi rally. Samaa TV's Zam Zam Saeed shares footage of abuse—cameraman injured, shirts torn. Media outcry grows.
March 15, 2022: Haripur Press Club President Zakir Tanoli attacked by masked assailants—struck with knives and pistol butts after chili powder assault. Journalists demand immediate action.
February 16, 2022: FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Jamil Baig after Islamabad raid over alleged cybercrime violations. The incident followed Murad Saeed's complaint under PECA 2016. Details on the confrontation and charges.
June 11, 2025 Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.
June 11, 2025 Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
May 31, 2025 Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.