Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Wednesday condemned the attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor, by unidentified men.
As per the official account of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, SSP Islamabad has been directed to probe the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
As per Asad Ali Toor’s video statement, three unidentified men broke into his apartment and tortured him. The three assailants can be seen leaving Toor’s apartment in the CCTV footage, reported BBC Urdu. Journalist Shahbaz Zahid also posted the CCTV footage on Twitter.
Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also called for a full and transparent inquiry of the incident.
Amnesty International has also urged authorities to take urgent steps for the safety of media workers in Pakistan.
Journalists from around the country have condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Toor.
The federal cabinet in April approved the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill. Last year, journalist Matiullah Jan was abducted in Islamabad but was released after 12 hours while last month, senior journalist Absar Alam survived an assassination attempt in Islamabad. The Freedom Network’s annual state of press freedom report released in April 2021 highlighted a dramatic escalation in the climate of intimidation and harassment of journalists and the media in Pakistan.
