Journalists protest police raid on Peshawar Press Club

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) on Wednesday staged a demonstration to protest the raid by the DSP cantonment on Peshawar Press Club (PPC) to prevent members of the transgender community from holding a press conference.

Led by PPC president M Riaz, KHUJ president Fida Khattak and general secretary Naeem Khan, the protesters carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans against KP police and in favour of their demands. They gathered outside the press club, urging the authorities to take action against the police official in question.

Terming the raid against free media and against the basic human rights, the speakers said the police officials had trampled sanctity of the press club.

They asked the government to take action against the DSP for raiding the press club and trying to prevent the transgender community members from highlighting their problems. They recalled that the people belonging to every walks of life highlighted at the press club but no-one had ever tried to stop them from doing so.

The journalists said they would continue the protest until their demands were met. They said the journalists throughout the country were protesting against the raid. They said the DSP threatened the local journalists for standing by the transgender community members.