SHEIKHUPURA, Nov 20: The Pakistan Journalists Council has condemned the physical assault on Dawn’s staffer Faraz Hashmi by an army officer in Islamabad the other day.

At a meeting, council’s district president G.R. Shahzad and central president Rai Asad Kharal said if a punitive action was not taken against the army officer, the journalist community would not hesitate to hold rallies throughout the country.

They demanded that President Musharraf should personally handle the case, and after conducting an impartial inquiry, he should take action against the major.

They threatened that if the major was not arrested by Nov 24, council’s officer-bearers and members would protest in front of the four governor’s houses and the Aiwan-i-Saddar in Islamabad.