ISLAMABAD: Three unidentified masked men reportedly assaulted journalist Asad Toor at his home in Islamabad.
Toor was later shifted to the hospital while Islamabad police are investigating the incident which occurred last night. CCTV footage shows the suspects wearing masks entering the building and fleeing Toor’s apartment after assaulting the journalist.
The video also showed an injured Toor walking out of the apartment with his hands and feet tied as he calls for help.
Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry took notice of the incident and instructed the Islamabad SSP to investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Federal Minister for I&B @fawadchaudhry condemns the assault on journalist @AsadAToor. SSP Islamabad has been directed to probe the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
— Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (@MoIB_Official) May 25, 2021
Federal Minister for Human Rights Shirin Mazari condemned the violence as a journalist and said police were taking action. Journalists and human rights organizations around the country also condemned the incident while there was an outpour on social media.
HRCP strongly condemns the brutal assault on journalist @AsadAToor by three unknown men who barged into his residence. We see it as yet another attack on freedom of expression and a free press. HRCP demands that the authorities apprehend and charge the assailants immediately.
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) May 26, 2021
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also issued a statement saying it “strongly condemned the brutal assault on journalist Asad Toor by three unknown men who barged into his residence.
“We see it as yet another attack on freedom of expression and a free press. HRCP demands that the authorities apprehend and charge the assailants immediately,” it added.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said the attack on journalist Asad Toor is reprehensible. She said the government should ensure security for journalists instead of lecturing on the protection of journalists.
OMG! This is shocking! May Allah protect him. I hope he is out of danger. https://t.co/al8K7XVCht
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) May 25, 2021
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have also condemned the attack on Toor.
Amnesty International also condemned the incident saying it “notes with grave concern the violent attack” on journalist Aasad Toor in his own home. It said the incident happened in the same week as the presentation of the Protection of Journalists Bill in the National Assembly.
“We reiterate our call to authorities to take urgent steps to provide journalists with greater protection, following years of spiralling threats, intimidation and attacks against media workers in Pakistan,” it added.
We reiterate our call to authorities to take urgent steps to provide journalists with greater protection, following years of spiralling threats, intimidation and attacks against media workers in Pakistan. #JournalismIsNotACrime
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) May 26, 2021
The journalist was accused of defaming the military last year and also faced a court case. According to the FIR, Toor had allegedly indulged in propaganda against Pakistan and national institutions on social media. However, the Lahore High Court absolved him of the charges after the FIA police told the court that no evidence was found to support the charges.
Dangerous place for journalists
Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world. Many journalists have faced harassment, threats, intimidation, and have even lost their lives while performing their duties.
In November 2020, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) issued a ‘White Paper on Global Journalism’ listing five countries, including Pakistan and India, as the ‘Most Dangerous Countries for Practice of Journalism in the World’.
Earlier this month on the occasion of World Press Freedom Da, the Freedom Network issued Press Freedom Report on Pakistan, titled “Murders, Harassment, and Assault: The Tough Wages of Journalism in Pakistan.”
According to the report, at least 91 cases of violence were recorded against journalists in Pakistan over the past year — which includes murder, assault, censorship, threats, and legal suits.
The report said that between May 2019 and April 2020, an average of over seven cases of violations occurred in a month — one every fourth day, or twice a week.
According to the findings, no place in the four Pakistani provinces or Islamabad [as well as GB and AJK] is safe for journalists. However, the federal capital was the “riskiest” territory with 34 percent of the cases.
Sindh was the “second worst” with 27pc of incidents of violence, followed by Punjab where 22pc of the cases were recorded. The report says that journalists who worked for television were the most vulnerable, as they were identified as a target in 69pc of the cases.
