PESHAWAR, Feb 28: In the wake of a surge in terrorist attacks in the city, NWFP Assembly Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan on Wednesday turned the assembly building into a ‘red security zone’ by denying access to journalists and press photographers covering the house proceedings.

The speaker completely banned the entry of photographers. On Wednesday, the assembly staff allowed a selective number of journalists to cover the first day’s proceedings, while a large number of journalists were sent back from the assembly gates.

A provincial minister, who is supposed to interact with journalists in such situations, did not attend phone calls from journalists and switched off his cellphone.

His staff in the information department did not take any interest in the matter.

The assembly’s watch and ward staff, who had misbehaved with journalists in the past, refused to convey any message to the speaker on the matter.

Everybody was murmuring that the speaker had banned the entry of journalists with the consent of reporters covering the assembly proceedings.