Journalists boycott PA press gallery over minister’s remarks

LAHORE: Journalists boycotted the Punjab Assembly press gallery on Wednesday in protest against Punjab Information Minister Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan’s remarks against journalists.

Journalists left the press gallery soon the session started on which Panel of Chairman Mian Muhammad Shafi asked Punjab Minister for Public Prosecution Ch Zaheer-ud-din and Information Minister Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan to go outside and bring them back to the house.

Opposition members also went out of the house announcing full support to the media men. On which Mian Muhammad Shafi asked Hussnain Bahadur Dareshak and Hafiz Ammar to bring the oppositionmembers back to the house. Ch Zaheer and Fayaz-ul-Hassan went outside the house and negotiated with the journalists and sought unconditional apology.

Later, Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan also sought unconditional apology on the floor of the house on his remarks against the journalists. Meanwhile, Hussnain Bahadur Dareshak and Hafiz Ammar brought the opposition members to the house after the minister sought unconditional apology from journalists.

Earlier, Senior Minister Aleem Khan also apologised over the minister’s remarks against the journalists and said he believed in best working relations of government with the press. “The information minister is young and aggressive and overreacted to the media man’s question’, he added.

Opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said that opposition was already facing such behaviour from Punjab Information Minister Fayaz-ul-Hassan while now the media also faced such behaviour. He expressed solidarity with the journalists.