Dawn photographer beaten up by Rangers in Karachi

Published December 10, 2021
A screengrab of a video showing Rangers beating Dawn photographer Faysal Mujeeb in Karachi on Thursday. — Imtiaz Ali
A screengrab of a video showing Rangers beating Dawn photographer Faysal Mujeeb in Karachi on Thursday. — Imtiaz Ali

KARACHI: Faysal Mujeeb, a photographer working for Dawn-White Star was manhandled by Rangers personnel while he was covering a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) event in Azizabad on Thursday evening.

The event, ‘Yaum-i-Shuhada’ was held near ‘Nine Zero’, formerly the headquarters of the MQM led by its founder leader, Altaf Hussain.

Mr Mujeeb said he was doing his professional duty to cover the event. He said relatives of slain MQM activists had started arriving at the venue, ‘Yaadgar-i-Shuhada’ since the morning and were laying floral wreaths and rose petals on their symbolic graves.

“Media personnel were present at various spots at Yaadgar-i-Shuhada to cover the event. I was also standing at one of the spots, near Tabba Hospital’s gate, where many Muttahida workers were present. Some of them started raising slogans in favour of Altaf Husain prompting Rangers personnel on duty there to start detaining them. I and another media worker, Mehboob Ahmed Chishti, were also picked up,” he said.

Mr Mujeeb said he proved his identity as press photographer and tried his best to make them believe that he was on the duty assigned to him by Dawn. However, he said, the Rangers personnel did not listen to him and started beating him up. “They kept me in detention for about an hour and subjected me to severe thrashing. I was set free only after a Rangers officer came and got my identity verified from his sources,” he added.

He said his camera and mobile phone also got smashed during the episode. Pakistan Federal Union of Jouranlists (PFUJ) and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) have condemned the “high handedness of Sindh Rangers against the photojournalist”. They demanded action against the personnel responsible for the act under the journalists’ protection law.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

The way forward
Updated 12 May, 2025

The way forward

An out-of-the-box solution acceptable to Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris is the only hope for long-term peace in South Asia.
AI opportunity
12 May, 2025

AI opportunity

TIME is running out. According to the latest Human Development Report, published by the UNDP this past Tuesday,...
Ace mountaineer
12 May, 2025

Ace mountaineer

NINE summits, five to go. Sajid Ali Sadpara’s quest to fulfil his late father’s dream and elevate Pakistan’s...
Hostilities cease, at last
Updated 11 May, 2025

Hostilities cease, at last

It is Islamabad and New Delhi that will have to do the heavy lifting thesmselves to secure peace.
Second IMF tranche
11 May, 2025

Second IMF tranche

THE IMF board’s approval of the second tranche of its ongoing $7bn funding arrangement and a new climate ...
War and lies
Updated 10 May, 2025

War and lies

Media on this side of the border is also not above blame.