Karachi Union of Journalists Dastoor (KUJ-D) has strongly condemned the torture of reporters and cameramen by the Karachi police. The union has demanded of Inspector General Sindh Riffat Mukhtar and Additional IG Karachi Khadim Hussain Rind to take action against the officials involved in the torture.
In their statement, President KUJ Khalil Ahmed Nasir and General Secretary Naimat Khan expressed their resentment over the incident, in which crime reporters Muhammad Salman and Afzal Pervez and a cameraman were tortured by police.
They stated that journalists were present on the ground to cover a political rally by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, but the police resorted to torturing them while they were documenting the arrests and abuse of supporters of the political party.
“This is unacceptable. The media’s role is to report, and obstructing it from its duty is akin to suppressing the truth,” said Khalil Nasir, the president of the KUJ.
General Secretary Naimat Khan lamented that it was unfortunate for the police not only to attempt to stop journalists from performing their duty but also to subject them to torture.
“We demand immediate action against those involved in the torture of journalists,” said Khan, emphasizing that the police’s duty is to maintain law and order and protect journalists, not to subject them to violence.
“We hope that action will be taken and shared with us soon,” he added.
