JournalismPakistan.com | Published May 18, 2020
Join our WhatsApp channelPESHAWAR—Jamshed Baghwan, the Peshawar bureau chief of Express News Television was intercepted and harassed by three unidentified men outside the traffic police headquarters as he headed for work on Monday.
Baghwan lodged the First Information Report (FIR) of the incident at the Shaqi Police Station.
According to the FIR, three unknown individuals on motorbikes intercepted Baghwan's car in front of the traffic police headquarters, dragged him from the vehicle, abused and shoved him without reason. He sustained minor injuries.
Ajmal Khan Wazir, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, in a tweet, expressed concern over the incident and said Baghwan was a good friend and a good journalist. "The government will pursue the case, and I will personally monitor."
Politicians, journalists, and local unions have condemned the incident and urged the government to take immediate action against the perpetrators.
December 12, 2020: ARY News anchor Iqrar ul Hassan was attacked and injured by unidentified assailants in the Defence neighborhood. The attackers fired at his vehicle before physically assaulting him in front of K Block Police Station. Hassan sustained injuries to his face and body.
November 05, 2020: Journalist Bayazid Khan Kharoti has accused Balochistan's Chief Minister of orchestrating his abduction in Quetta. In a social media video, Kharoti claimed he was held in illegal confinement for eight hours before being released to the police.
October 10, 2020: Nabeel Jakhura, President of BOL News, and Assistant Vice President Shabi Al Hassan were abducted in Karachi. The two were kidnapped while heading home from work, and their vehicle was later found locked in Sohrab Goth with valuables retrieved.
September 20, 2020: Alveena Agha, an anchor at Metro One News TV, is facing harassment linked to her investigative story on a business group’s scam published two years ago. Agha revealed that the group that defrauded investors in the 90s before relocating to Dubai, is now targeting her.
September 19, 2020: Dilroz Khan, Chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's Complaint and Redressal Cell, allegedly threatened and abused senior journalist Ali Akbar of DawnNews in Peshawar. Akbar, who reported on faulty BRT buses and questioned Khan about their condition, revealed the abuse in a tweet.
September 14, 2020: Zafar Naqvi, former senior content producer at ARY News, faced a third harassment attempt. Naqvi, previously abducted twice in April 2020 after commenting on high-profile stories, reported that men claiming to be surveyors visited his home.
August 12, 2020: Women journalists have voiced serious concerns over online threats and harassment from government supporters in response to their criticism of government policies and handling of COVID-19. They report targeted attacks, gender-based slurs, and attempts to hack their social media accounts.
August 11, 2020: Abbas Ali Jutt, a journalist with Daily Sahafat and general secretary of the Okara Union of Journalists, was attacked in Punjab on August 8, 2020. The attack, linked to his social media posts about local drug dealers, has drawn calls from IFJ and PFUJ for a thorough investigation.
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