Daily Times

Islamabad Police on Saturday suspended two policemen for allegedly manhandling journalists when they were covering Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s appearance before the National Accountability Bureau earlier this week.

On Saturday, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Riaz and Head Constable Qadeer Ahmed appeared before the Deputy Inspector General of Police regarding the inquiry of the alleged attack on journalists on May 29. After hearing them, the DIG issued their suspension orders.

Journalists Ali Asghar Bhatti and Parvaiz Mughal were attacked and arrested by the Islamabad Police on May 29 when they were covering Bilawal Bhutto’s appearance before the NAB.

Bhatti said that journalists were stopped at a police check-post on May 29. “We told the officers that we were journalists and had come to cover Bilawal Bhutto’s appearance before NAB. Pervaiz Mughal, a photographer, requested them to let us go for the coverage, but they started using abusive language,” said Bhatti.

“When we asked them not to use such language, one of the policemen attacked us and later took us to police van,” he said.

Later on, the intervention of National Press Club president Shakeel Qarar released them after an hour.

Bhatti said that police had intentionally barred journalists from covering the event by using violence.

The representatives of the Islamabad Press Club brought the issue to the notice of the Islamabad Inspector General of Police, who ordered inquiry into the incident.

Wajid Ali, a cameraman working for a private TV channel, was attacked by security guards of former PM Nawaz Sharif outside the Parliament House on December 17, 2018.

The incident occurred when Ali was covering the departure of Sharif from Parliament House after co-chairing a meeting of senior leaders of the opposition political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Usman Cheema, another cameraman of a private TV channel, who was also present on the occasion, said that when Ali was recording the former premier, his camera hit the shoulder of chief security officer by mistake. “The officer got angry and ordered other guards to catch Ali and teach him a lesson. The guards then pushed the cameraman who fell to the ground and started bleeding from his nose and mouth. The guard then kicked him in the face and Ali passed out,” he said.

Wajid Ali said that he had filed First Information Report (FIR) and was following the case. “Later, former ministers Maryam Aurganzaib and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry came to my office and apologized. Moreover, the security officers of Nawaz Sharif also went to his residence and apologised. So, I finally took back the case,” he said.

“I think if the journalist lodge police complaints and follow their cases, the ratio of such incidents can be reduced,” he said.

Mudasir Chaudhry, office bearer the National Press Club, said mostly such incidents occurred with the cameramen or photographers when they try to cross the ‘red line’.

“During the coverage of the mobs and protest demonstrations, journalists should remain conscious about their safety and should not cross their limits,” he said.

Senior Journalist Shamim Shahid said that the root cause of such incidents was the lack of training for field reporting.

“Security personnel also cross their limits in protest demonstrations as they know that such incidents are harder to detect,” he said.

According to Pakistan Press Foundation’s ‘State of Pakistani Media in 2018’ report, there were at least 22 cases of physical assault in which five journalists were injured while 25 others were beaten to stop them from performing their professional duties during 2018.

PPF also documented seven cases where journalists in Pakistan faced legal actions during this period.

Responding to question of restricting and controlling media by the government, PTI lawmaker Seemabia Tahir said that his party strongly believed in freedom of press and supremacy of law. “The suspension of police officers is enough to prove that government will not tolerate to restrict and bar media from coverage,” she said.