ISLAMABAD: Several journalists were injured on Tuesday during clashes with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters who attempted to forcefully enter the National Press Club (NPC) and the offices of media houses in Islamabad.
NPC Secretary Nayyar Ali said a group of 50 to 60 protesters gathered outside the club and tried to bulldoze one of its gates.
“They threatened and harassed the club staff when stopped,” she said. The protesters also attempted to scale the club’s walls, moved towards the main gate, and attacked staff members, including female journalists, she added.
In other parts of the capital, several journalists sustained injuries while on duty. According to Nayyar Ali, PTI protesters also raided the offices of Aik TV, Samaa TV, and Geo News, holding media staff hostage.
The PTI supporters vandalized the Aik TV office near Express Chowk, pelting it with stones and smashing windows. Mohammad Adil, a journalist with the channel, sustained injuries during the incident.
Protesters also stormed the Samaa TV office, but no significant damage was reported. Witnesses said the group claimed they were pursuing police officials.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousaf, a cameraman with the Associated Press (AP), was injured when protesters allegedly attacked him on the Srinagar Highway near G-10. They struck him on the head with an iron rod and damaged his vehicle.
A female journalist, Quratul Ain, was similarly injured in an attack near Express Chowk. She said protesters pushed her and a colleague while they were working. “When I resisted, one of them struck me with a spiked baton,” she said, adding that the blow injured her leg, causing it to bleed.
Earlier in the day, several journalists and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) vans belonging to various media houses were targeted at Chungi No. 26 during confrontations between protesters and the police.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
