ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Journalists on Wednesday staged a walkout from the National Assembly’s press gallery to protest against the government’s decision to restrict their movement in the Parliament House building and barring their entry to the cafeteria and ministers’ chambers.
The journalists ended the boycott after the government lifted the ban on their entry to the cafeteria and assured that the issue of allowing TV cameras would also be resolved soon.
The assurance came from Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem in a meeting with representatives of journalists.
Earlier, representatives of the journalists also met with Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain in his chamber and informed him about their concerns over the government’s move.
Meanwhile, fearing the journalists’ boycott, senior officials of the Press Information Department (PID) had called some two dozen non-journalists, including some employees, of the National Assembly building to fill the press gallery. As soon as journalists started walking out of the press gallery, senior PID officials started herding them towards the gallery.
