Press-ing matters: Police recover TV reporters from kidnappers

Unknown armed culprits held Samaa pvt television team hostage for over three hours.

FAISALABAD: Police officials recovered members of a reporting team affiliated with the Samaa private television channel who were attacked in the Sindhoo Town Area on Saturday.

Unknown armed culprits held the team hostage for over three hours.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and ordered the Faisalabad district police officer (DPO) to take immediate action against the criminals involved.

Samaa reporter, Manan Ashraf, said that he and his colleagues were beaten with sticks by the accused men and were kept hostage in a small room for several hours. Ashraf said that the accused were drug dealers and had threatened to kill them while holding them hostage.

While speaking to Samaa, Punjab Union of Journalist’s president Rai Hasnain condemned the incident, saying “The action by the provincial government was very late and it is not enough. The police’s role and conduct in Punjab is pathetic. They have failed to pursue the case,” he added.

So far police officials have not registered an FIR against the accused and no confirmation has been issued by the police as to whether or not the accused were drug dealers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2011.