- Police Damage Property, Smash Cameras under Raid.
- Journalists beaten inside the cafeteria for no reason.
- Employees and office holders also targeted, arrested.
Islamabad: Islamabad police stormed the National Press Club (NPC) Thursday afternoon during a protest organized by the Awami Action Committee, journalists assaulted and damaged property in what senior media representatives described as one of the “worst events in history”.
The protest was scheduled for around 1 p.m. 15 at the National Press Club. When protesters gathered outside, police arrested them.
Journalists on stage began documenting the events with photos and videos, but police tried to stop them, even tried to snap cameras and cell phones.
Minutes after the police were asked not to deal with the media staff by senior journalists, police staff forced the open press club’s doors, with some climbing the walls and into the building, as if “terrorists were inside”.
They attacked several journalists, crushed their equipment and also stormed the cafeteria and beat journalists who had tea.
Although journalists repeatedly informed police that no protesters were inside, the assault continued. Cameras were thrown to the ground while media workers were assaulted.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist’s (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt condemned the incident and said police broke NPC’s furniture, assaulted both employees and office holders and even arrested some of the staff.
He said the level of aggression, as police showed, was unprecedented.
“Even under dictatorships such behavior did not witness. The police used to wait outside for a sought -after person instead of attacking the press club,” butt noted.
He warned that the Islamabad police should respond to the violence, otherwise journalists would start a strong protest.
Meanwhile, journalists at NPC held discussions about their next course of action after the assault.
