ISLAMABAD: In a new low for press freedom in the country, almost a dozen police officials stormed the National Press Club and tortured journalists present on the premises in an apparent bid to round up a few protesters who had taken refuge in the building to escape police violence.

The unprecedented raid was denounced by the media bodies and political figures, as well as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, prompting the interior minister to order an inquiry into the incident and his deputy minister to apologise.

The police officials, who entered the cafeteria in alleged pursuit of protesters, thrashed journalists, broke cameras, and damaged NPC’s property. According to the eyewitness accounts, police officials beat up several journalists and also smashed their equipment. Police also entered the kitchen, smashed crockery, and briefly arrested two employees of the NPC.

In the lead-up to this “disgraceful” incident, the police had used batons and sticks to torture protesters who had gathered outside the press club in solidarity with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee protesting in Azad Jammu Kashmir.

l Officials enter premises in pursuit of protesters; torture journalists, destroy equipment l Interior minister, IG order probe into raid; Talal offers ‘apology’ on behalf of police l Lawyers to go on strike today against arrest of colleagues; HRCP, media bodies denounce incident as ‘black day’

An eyewitness who was present at the scene said there were more than 100 police officials to deal with a few dozen protesters and as soon as the protesters gathered near the club, the police used force to round them up. A police official told Dawn that the Kohsar SHO was leading the police team to deal with the protesters; however, journalists reported that an SP was present on the scene to lead the contingent.

It was not confirmed by the police how many protesters were rounded up. But reports said half a dozen persons were arrested from within and outside the NPC. There was no official statement by the time this report went to press.

The violence against the journalists and protesters came amid a protest in Kashmir in which several Islamabad police officials sustained injuries, with some still hospitalised.

The raid drew widespread condemnation, with the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) saying that such incidents had not even taken place during martial law.

Afzal Butt, while speaking to media persons, said that the entire journalist community was perturbed because of the incident and vowed a strict response.

“It is a black day... In the past, a number of times, even wanted persons entered the press clubs and held press conferences, but police never entered inside and waited outside to arrest them…,” he said.

He announced that the PFUJ had called an “emergency session”, where “we will consult and chalk out our demands about what the government needs to do to prevent what the police did today. “We will also decide our course of action and announce it after the meeting.”

Mr Butt said, “We always avoid confrontation with political parties. Our friends were very angry … but I controlled them … Something like this has never happened before.

“That you enter a photographer’s house — the press club is their second home […] that you enter his home without permission, beat him and break his camera and mobile phone. This has never happened before,” Dawn.com quoted him as saying.

Similarly, the PFUJ, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors, in a joint statement, dubbed the raid as terrorism and said the action was a continuation of the government’s hostile measures against journalists, including the use of PECA cybercrime law.

The statement said over a dozen journalists were facing PECA cases and the government’s move to dub journalists, freelancers, and civil society organisations as ‘anti-state’ was an attempt to curb press freedom.

The PTI, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and other opposition parties also condemned the police action. “HRCP strongly condemns the raid on the National Press Club and [the] assault on journalists by the Islamabad police,” the rights group wrote in a post on X. “We demand an immediate inquiry and those responsible brought to book.”

The police also arrested some lawyers outside the press club, prompting the District Bar Association to announce a complete strike on Friday. The bar association also called a meeting of its general body today, in which lawyers will formulate the future course of action.

Probe ordered

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry reached the press club to offer an apology on behalf of the police, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who himself was a media professional before joining the government, and IG Ali Nasir Rizvi ordered an investigation into the incident.

A statement issued by Mohsin Naqvi stated that he had taken notice of the “unfortunate” incident and sought a report from the Islamabad IGP. “Violence against the journalist community cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” he was quoted as saying. “Disciplinary action must be taken against officials involved in the incident,” he said. Information Minister Atta Tarar also assured that an investigation would be conducted to fix responsibility.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2025