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