Johi has become a dangerous area for journalists where they are targeted by powerful, corrupt elements that get away
JOHI: After three days of attack and torture on a group of journalists from Johi, Sindh, no action has yet been taken by the police against the landlord and his men who allegedly attacked the journalists. The three journalists had tried to report the ruthless chopping of trees in the Kachho area of Johi taluka in Dadu district, when, according to media reports, a group of men broke their cameras, brutally tortured them and took them to the village guesthouse belonging to a local landlord. They were kept hostage for a couple of hours and then taken to the hospital but no case was filed against the miscreants. Journalists have protested against the incident. A former president of Johi Press Club told me that the landlord enjoys the support of the ruling party and, therefore, the police would not take action against him.
Johi has become a dangerous area for journalists where they are targeted by powerful, corrupt elements that get away scot-free. If the attackers are not taken to task according to the law, the perpetrators will become bolder and journalists will be left to fend for themselves.
Gulsher Panhwer
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
