The International Federation of Journalists

(IFJ) is concerned over an attack on the home of a reporter in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad.

According to reports from the

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, the incident

occurred early on the morning of January 19, when stones and bricks and were

hurled at the home of Azaz Syed, a reporter with the Dawn

television channel.

No one was injured but Syed’s car

was reportedly damaged.

“The IFJ extends its support to the

PFUJ and to the protests that have been undertaken by journalists’ groups in Islamabad, including a boycott

of National Assembly proceedings for a day,” IFJ Asia-Pacific

Director Jacqueline Park said.

The IFJ has had repeated occasion in

the recent past to note that the unsettled security situation in parts of Pakistan has

been taking a heavy toll on journalists’ safety.

In this instance, it is reported

that certain news reports filed by Syed that have been critical of official

security and intelligence agencies may have been the provocation for the

attack.

“We call upon the Interior Ministry

and other concerned authorities to follow up on promises that they will trace

those responsible for this attack,” Park said.

“These measures are required to be

undertaken on an urgent basis to restore some degree of confidence within Pakistan’s

media community”.

For

further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific

on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ

represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries