Journalists protest police raid on NPC

A strong protest demonstration was held at the National Press Club on Friday evening under the auspices of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against the alleged raid and hooliganism of the federal police. The protesters also staged a rally, chanting slogans against the government and Islamabad police.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Senator Maulana Ghafoor Haideri also reached the Press Club, where they condemned the police action and expressed solidarity with journalists. Hundreds of journalists, led by PFUJ President Afzal Butt, staged the protest outside the National Press Club and later marched towards the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat. Addressing the gathering, Afzal Butt said that in protest against the police highhandedness at the National Press Club, black flags were being hoisted on 35 press clubs across the country on Friday. He noted that press clubs are considered the "second home" of journalists, and leaders from across Pakistan had contacted PFUJ to express unity, declaring that an attack on the National Press Club is tantamount to an attack on all press clubs.

He further said that the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) also staged a walkout from the National Assembly in protest. The government, he added, had asked the PRA to submit their demands, but journalists would not be satisfied merely with the suspension of a few police officials or the registration of an FIR.