Pakistan: Journalists assaulted by counter terrorism police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least four members of the Bara Press Club were allegedly tortured by Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police while reporting a protest outside Kyhber District Police Station on March 12. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning the attack.

Bara Press Club has announced a boycott on coverage of all police agency activities after four of its members were assaulted by counter terrorism police on March 12. Credit: Ghag TV/Facebook

Former Bara Press Club president, Munir Afridi, vice-president, Jahanzeb Afridi, former president, Kamran Afridi, and senior journalist Qazi Muhammad Rauf were covering a protest outside the police station by displaced residents from Tirah Valley when they were assaulted by CTD officials. The rally was held by residents to demand basic amenities and relief packages amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region resulting from extreme weather conditions and the ongoing Pakistan military offensive against Afghan millitants.

CTD officers allegedly threw Rauf to the ground and beat him with rifle butts. Officers also reportedly smashed the journalists' vehicle windows, pointed their guns at the reporters, and forced them into a police car while intimidating them with extreme threats.The four journalists were detained for several hours before being released. Their press cards and vehicles remain in police custody.

Bara Press Club has since announced a boycott on coverage of all police agency activities, and has encouraged fellow journalists in Khyber district to follow suit. Khyber District Police Officer, Waqar Ahmed, reportedly visited the Bara Press Club and issued an apology, but club members said the boycott would continue until concrete steps were taken against those responsible for the assault.

The PFUJ said :"PFUJ condemns the incident of detention and torture of journalists and demands the authorities to take swift action in probing this matter. Authorities must take necessary action against those involved in this unlawful act to allow journalists to perform their duties uninterrupted in future."

The IFJ said: "Violence against journalists covering issues of key public interest should not be condoned, least of all from authorities. The conflict between Pakistan and Afghan militants and the human rights concerns of residents is a critical and unfolding story that must be told. Those responsible should be brought to account."