Islamabad, April 4 (TNS): Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists ((PFUJ), an umbrella body of Journalists’ unions across the country, strongly condemned the attack on the house of senior journalist and anchorperson Saleem Safi by “unknown” assailants last night, says a press release issued by the journalists’ body.
“We take it as an attack on the Freedom of Press to muffle the voice of the media, “ said a joint statement issued by PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Ayub Jan Sarhandi. “Such attacks on journalists are being made by forces inimical to the Freedom of Press and democracy in this country.”
The PFUJ leaders noted that this is not the first time that journalists have been attacked in this country.
They recalled that another reporter of “The News” Ahmad Noorani was almost beaten to death by same “unknown persons” few months ago and the police and even the army had assured full investigation into that attack but no one could be traced.
“It is beyond comprehension that three men attack Ahmad Noorani in Islamabad near ISI headquarters, on one of the most secured roads in the federal capital and the law enforcement agencies could not find any clue despite cameras on every road in Islamabad,” the statement said adding that “unless these state and non-state actors are not controlled by the government these attacks would continue to happen.”
“The failure of the law enforcement agencies to act quickly and swiftly against attackers in the past has landed us today in this situation where journalists are being attacked and killed in day light.”
The statement said that only two days ago another journalist Zeeshan Butt, a correspondent of Nawai Waqt from Sambrial was shot dead by a PML-N local leader who has not been arrested so far.
“We call upon the government to immediately arrest the killers and bring them to justice,” the statement said.
The PFUJ leaders said that today the Freedom of Expression was under attack and journalists were going through their worst time in history.
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The PFUJ called upon the international journalists unions to take serious notice on the increasing number of attacks on the journalists across Pakistan and raise their voice at the international level.
“We also call upon the human rights and civil Society organisations to take cognizance of these attacks on Press Freedom and expose those who were trying to curb freedom of expression in this country,” the statement concluded.
