By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The interior minister on Thursday ordered an inquiry into a police raid at the National Press Club in Islamabad where journalists were allegedly attacked, drawing condemnations from media bodies and vows of nationwide protests over what they described as an assault on press freedom.
Television footage showed baton-wielding police assaulting journalists inside the club premises, while social media videos depicted officers dragging reporters from what appeared to be the cafeteria. One clip showed a journalist displaying his shattered Nikon camera and torn shirt.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi took notice of the “unfortunate” incident and demanded a report from Islamabad’s inspector general of police, according to a statement from his office. “Violence against the journalist community cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” Naqvi said. “Disciplinary action must be taken against officials involved in the incident.”
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, speaking at a press conference at the club alongside Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt, condemned the raid and apologised. He urged journalists to consider the apology during their deliberations and offered to meet them again afterward.
Chaudhry’s office issued a statement offering an unconditional apology, explaining that the incident occurred “suddenly” when police pursued protesters from the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) who had allegedly manhandled officers. The police entered the club to arrest those involved, it said, adding that Chaudhry had ordered an internal inquiry.
Butt said office-bearers who tried to intervene during the raid were “beaten and tortured,” with two people briefly arrested and later released after others intervened. “Today’s incident is a matter of now or never for us,” he said, announcing an emergency PFUJ session to formulate demands and decide on a course of action. “We always avoid confrontation with political parties. Our friends were very angry … but I controlled them,” Butt added.
Butt called it one of the “darkest day in Pakistan’s history” and an “attack on media freedom.” “Something like this has never happened before. That you enter a photographer’s house — the press club is their second home […] that you enter his home without permission, beat him and break his camera and mobile phone. This has never happened before.”
He alleged that club management and office-bearers were assaulted, and stressed that the issue extended beyond Islamabad. “Press clubs across Pakistan are of the view that if they will turn a blind eye to this worst of the worst incident, similar incidents could happen in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta,”
At a later press conference, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists President Tariq Virk said journalists nationwide were united, alleging that police had been “sent” to the club and inflicted violence, including torturing and arresting an ailing employee. He vowed a plan to prevent future “rogue behaviour.”
In a joint statement, the PFUJ, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors branded the raid “terrorism” and demanded action against those responsible. They viewed it as part of ongoing actions against journalists, citing recent advertisements titled “Have you ever thought what the state of war is?” which they alleged were government-backed and used threatening tones to label media figures as anti-state, aiming to tarnish reputations and curb expression. The bodies demanded an immediate halt to the ads and criticised the “excessive use” of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act to suppress critics.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan posted on X: “HRCP strongly condemns the raid on the National Press Club and [the] assault on journalists by the Islamabad police. We demand an immediate inquiry and those responsible brought to book.”
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