On the evening of September 16, a group of four unidentified individuals arrived at Chaudhry’s Lahore home approaching his son and asking about the journalist’s whereabouts. Learning the journalist was not home, the intruders allegedly assaulted Chaudhry’s son and attempted to break into the residence.
Their preparations were interrupted when a crowd began to assemble in the area, causing the assailants to flee the scene.
Chaudhary, who was previously affiliated with the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) before his dismissal in July 2023, has since reportedly filed a police report concerning the incident. According to reports, Chaudhary suspects the attack was in relation to articles he had published exposing the alleged criminal seizure of land.
In response to the alleged assault, PFUJ members, journalists and media workers held national protests on September 18, calling for authorities to take action against those responsible, and claiming the attack represented an affront to Pakistan’s media community.
In July, Chaudhry was fired from the state-owned PTV hours after asking then-Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb about press freedom concerns at a media conference. Aurangzeb, working under the Shehbaz Sharif government, claimed Chaudhry was never hired on a permanent basis, and was instead informed of an earlier firing coincidentally.
PFUJ President GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana M Azeem said: “The PFUJ demands police authorities and the Provincial government to take notice and arrest the culprits and provide security to Azam Chaudhry. We have given a call for country-wide protest over this incident on September 18, if unknown attackers are not traced and arrested”
The IFJ said: “Reports of an attack on journalist Azam Chaudhry’s home are deeply concerning and the perpetrators of crimes against journalists must not be allowed to escape with impunity. The IFJ condemns the incident and calls on the Pakistani authorities to conduct an immediate and transparent investigation into the alleged attack.”