KARACHI: Unidentified armed men set ablaze the offices of WorldCall, a major cable operator, in Clifton on Saturday, causing abrupt closure of the Geo News transmission in several parts of the city.

The police said they were not sure about the motive behind the attack. They said they were investigating the incident and recording statements of the staff to ascertain the identity of the attackers.

SSP South Faisal Bashir Memon said that four to six men came to the WorldCall office near Dou Talwar in Clifton, unarmed the guards, and set the furniture, fixtures and equipment on fire.

The Cable Operators Association condemned the attack, with its chief Khalid Arain, saying that the WorldCall office was attacked for relaying Geo News transmission to its subscribers.

Mr Arain said the association had been conveying its concerns to the authorities. “We had a meeting with Federal Information Minister only on Friday and conveyed to the minister that our members are under serious threat for allowing the Geo News transmissions.”

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“We sought security for our members, which was assured by the government, but today the incident occurred. We told the authorities that there is a public pressure against the cable operators for televising the Geo News for its previous content, and some miscreants are exploiting the situation.”

When asked whether it was ‘public pressure’ which led to arson attack, Mr Arain said he could not say anything with certainty about the attackers.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2014