LAHORE: Two policemen and a newspaper worker were injured when two men on a motorcycle hurled a cracker at the office of a media group in Gulberg on Tuesday.

According to witnesses, the attackers chanted slogans in favour of the militant Islamic State group while throwing the cracker on Din News channel. They also lobbed pamphlets warning media against siding with the ‘apostate’ government if they wanted to avoid more attacks. The group, according to the pamphlets, ‘accepted’ responsibility for the attack.

Injured constables Nasir and Ejaz and Din newspaper employee Masood were taken to a hospital, where their condition was stated to be out of danger.

Lahore police chief retired Capt Amin Wains said all media houses had been asked to enhance their security. “Policemen have also been deployed at all media houses in the city.”

He said the attackers would soon be arrested.

DIG (operations) Dr Haider Ashraf, who visited offices of different TV channels and newspapers, told reporters that security had been beefed up at all entry and exit points to the city.

All sections of society condemned the incident and journalist bodies decided to hold rallies.

It was the third attack on media over the past 11 days.

Three employees of Dunya News channel were injured in a similar cracker attack in Faisalabad on Nov 20.

On Nov 27, unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on a Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) van of DawnNews in Karachi, leaving one staffer injured.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015