JournalismPakistan.com
May 26, 2021

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor by unknown assailants who entered his apartment, tied his legs and arms, and beat him up Tuesday night.                                      

President PFUJ Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi said in a statement that this is the second time that journalist Toor has been harassed and beaten. “This cowardly act of beating and harassing an independent journalist shows anxiety of anti-media agents who are bent upon denying freedom of press and free speech and expression in the country.”

The PFUJ leadership said that this attempt seems to be designed to suppress the journalist community further. Earlier, senior journalist Absar Alam, a former head of electronic media regulator PEMRA was injured in a gun attack in Islamabad on April 20. “Such tactics will not deter media and journalists from upholding free press and freedom of speech and expression as we are committed for it,” PFUJ said.                                 

The union demanded immediate arrest of culprits and initiating a probe by a judge of the high court. “If concrete action and steps are not taken for the arrest of perpetrators, PFUJ would launch a countrywide strike.”

On the one hand the federal and provincial governments are introducing Journalist Protection Bill while on the other anti-media forces are attacking them which is alarming. Such elements evidently want to disrupt and block the law for the protection of media persons.

Photo: Asad Ali Toor, courtesy Twitter (@Matiullahjan919)