KARACHI: The Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday said that Pakistan Rangers personnel barged into its premises, condemning the action and terming it a violation of the sanctity of the KPC.

In a statement, the KPC governing body said law and order and security were matters of special importance but on its basis, ‘intrusion’ into the KPC premises was a matter of concern.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) took serious notice of the KPC “raid” by the Sindh Rangers.

The KPC governing body urged the Rangers chief to take action against the personnel involved.

While talking to Dawn, KPC secretary Arman Sabir quoted the KPC staff as saying the paramilitary force personnel entered the club without informing them and conducted some security rehearsal there. He said the KPC had some traditions and they would not compromise on them.

In a statement issued from Islamabad, PFUJ president Sheh­zada Zulfiqar and secretary general Nasir Zaidi termed the raid an act of terrifying the journalist community.

“It’s an act which has desecrated the sanctity of the press club and cannot be tolerated,” they said.

The PFUJ said that media and journalists could not be deterred by such low and dirty tactics and methods which gave a bad name to the country and raised questions on the capacity of the Sindh and federal governments. They demanded an immediate probe into the incident through a three-member judicial commission of judges of the Sindh High Court. They said the act was unprecedented and had not happened even during any the dictatorships right from Ayub Khan to Zia and from Zia to Musharraf.

“It is the responsibility of the Sindh government to constitute a judicial commission immediately as the raid was conducted under the garb of a security drill at Karachi press club,” they said.

The PFUJ also demanded apology from the Sindh Rangers for insulting the sanctity of the press club.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2020