JournalismPakistan.com | Published July 19, 2024 at 02:33 pm | JP Staff Reporter
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ISLAMABAD—Press freedom took another hit in Pakistan on Friday when a large number of policemen arrived at a hotel in Gujranwala to prevent opposition leader Omer Ayub Khan from attending the Federal Executive Council meeting of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).
PFUJ Secretary General Arshad Ansari (pictured) reported that the police arrested the hotel manager and questioned the union about the opposition leader. Ansari expressed his anger at the police action, highlighting that the law enforcers had disrupted the three-day meeting, which began on Friday.
"It makes no sense that when we have guests from various political parties, why could a PTI leader not attend the event," said Ansari. He warned of potential protests and threatened to hold the meeting on the main GT Road if the police did not cease interfering in their affairs.
The incident has sparked outrage among journalists and supporters of press freedom in Pakistan. The PFUJ emphasized the importance of free and fair journalism and condemned the police's actions as a blatant attempt to intimidate and control the press.
This latest incident adds to the growing concerns about the state of press freedom in Pakistan, where journalists frequently face harassment, threats, and censorship. The PFUJ has vowed to continue its work and resist any attempts to undermine its efforts to promote free speech and an independent press.
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