Bilawal, Maryam, PFUJ, HRCP condemn attack on journalist

ISLAMABAD: Assault on journalist and blogger Asad Ali Toor Wednesday drew ire from different segments of society.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while condemning the attack on journalist Asad Toor, demanded a full and transparent enquiry to expose the truth. Bilawal tweeted that the attack on Asad Toor in Islamabad is highly condemnable. “His voice will only grow stronger and louder.”

He said the regime’s cowardliness on full display when journalists and freedom of the press are under attack. “We demand a full and transparent enquiry to expose the truth,” he said. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz also reacted to attack on the Islamabad-based journalist in a tweet saying: “OMG! This is shocking! May Allah protect him. I hope he is out of danger.”

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist also strongly condemned attack on Toor by unknown attackers who entered his apartment and tied his legs and arms and severally beaten him late in the Tuesday night.

President PFUJ Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi in a joint statement said that this is second time that journalist Asad Toor is being harassed and beaten, says a press release on Wednesday. “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,” they said.

The PFUJ leadership said that this attempt seems to be designed further suppress journalists community as earlier senior journalist Absar Alam was attacked and now Asad Ali Toor. “Such tactics will not deter media and journalists for upholding free press and freedom of speech and expression as we are committed for it,” they reminded.

The PFUJ demanded immediate arrest of culprits and initiating a probe by a judge of the high court. “If concrete actions and steps are not taken for the arrest those who attacked journalist and for the protection of journalist community, we will launch countrywide strike for arrests all criminal involved in crime against media persons,” they said.

On the one hand federal and provincial governments are introducing journalists’ protection bill but on the other side anti-media forces are attacking journalists which is alarming situation as they evidently want to disrupt and block law for the protection of media persons, they alarmed the government.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also strongly condemns the “brutal assault on the journalist “by three unknown men who barged into his residence. We see it as yet another attack on freedom of expression and a free press. HRCP demands that the authorities apprehend and charge the assailants immediately.”

In the meanwhile, Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman condemned the attack on journalist Asad Toor and said that she was shocked to hear about the attack on Asad Toor in Islamabad and strongly condemned such attempts to muzzle the media. She said the truth to power will continue to be told whether anyone likes it or not. “Too many such cases lying unexplained or investigated. Time to change that,” she said.