Illegal detention of journalist: Senate panel for action against SHO

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has recommended immediate suspension and launching a formal inquiry against a station house officer (SHO) of Rawalpindi. The decision follows a meeting to address the alleged illegal detention and mistreatment of Tariq Ali Virk, President of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists.

Chaired by Senator Ali Zafar, the committee expressed its strong support for freedom of the press and condemned the eight-hour illegal detention of the journalist. The committee has summoned the Inspector General (IG) Punjab, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, and SHO Tayyab Baig of New Town police station at its next meeting.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar acknowledged the delay in resolving the issue and apologised to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) delegation. However, other committee members, including Senator Waqar Mehdi and Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi, argued against giving the minister more time, insisting that decisive action was needed immediately.

The committee instructed the Ministry of Interior to ensure its recommendations were implemented and that the police officials appear in the next session.

Briefing the committee, Tariq Ali Virk emphasised that the issue was not personal but a matter of press freedom, and he pointed out that no action had been taken despite the lapse of a month. Nayyar Ali, Secretary of the National Press Club Islamabad, and Usman Khan, President of the Parliamentary Reporters Association, noted that a proposal for the SHO to apologise had not been fulfilled and added that lodging an FIR against the officer was now being demanded.