Daily Times

Female Journalists from different media outlets were maltreated by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) workers at a wedding ceremony of Junaid Safdar and Ayesha Saif in Islamabad.

As per coverage invitation from the party, different media houses deputed their female reporters and cameramen to cover Junaid Safdar’s mehendi that was held on Sunday night at house number 10-B street number 4 Chak Shahzad Farms, Islamabad that is also the official secretariat of the party. When journalists reached the venue as per the released schedule some party workers told them that the media was not allowed to enter. Not only this, they started shouting at female reporters while using inappropriate language. When some male photographers intervened to rescue their female colleagues, a group attacked them which resulted in a few minor injuries to the cameramen. A camera of a private news channel was damaged as a result of the scuffle.

“Why have you come here, and tried to enter here?” a young man seems shouting at a female reporter who didn’t respond to him and tried to leave the venue. However, the man could be seen in a video clip running after her while shouting “listen to me and tell me who allowed you to come here?”

It is pertinent to mention that almost all of the female reporters were assigned to cover the event. Hardly any male reporters were there to cover the ceremony except cameramen and photographers. To assign only female reporters was requested in the PML-N’s invitation. Female reporters regretted the incident saying that to be treated like this was highly discriminatory, adding that they should at least respect women. “We were there as per assignment from our office which was placed in accordance with the party invitation for media coverage,” an aggrieved female reporter told the Daily Times. An assignment editor of a private TV channel said that it was a global trend that the media covers celebrity weddings. Moreover, he said, the PML-N leaders themselves released coverage invitations and requested to depute only female reporters on this family function. “Misbehavior by the party workers was very shameful,” he said. When contacted, Pakistan PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb for her version of the issue, she said “I will respond to you later.” However, despite repeated attempts, she didn’t respond to Daily Times.