PESHAWAR: Journalists on Thursday staged a walkout from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly for the second time in a month – this time over the detention of a staffer of an Urdu daily.
On October 1, journalists staged a walkout over the chief minister’s remarks implying the media was responsible for the string of attacks in the provincial capital last month. On Thursday, the walkout was followed by the arrest of Mir Kamal, a staffer of Urdu daily Nai Baat, in Kakshal area. Kamal was reportedly detained for around five hours with about a hundred others and shifted to several police stations during the course of his incarceration.
Journalists staged a walkout from the press gallery soon after the assembly session started and gathered outside the building in protest.
Consequently, Minister for Communication and Works (C&W) Yousaf Ayub, Adviser to Chief Minister on Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and other lawmakers tried to appease the incensed reporters and convince them to return by assuring them of initiating an inquiry into the incident.
However, the journalists remained unmoved and demanded the suspension of the official responsible for the arrest, an inquiry into the incident and assurance that something similar will not happen in the future.
The MPAs, on the other hand, insisted the official could only be suspended once the inquiry is complete. They also told journalists the city police chief was coming to the assembly and they could make the demand to him.
The police chief did not show up after a wait of more than 30 minutes despite repeated calls from ministers. The lawmakers said the police officer was not taking the calls as he was attending a law and order meeting. They urged journalists not to boycott the assembly’s proceedings and pleaded for more time.
However, the police officer did not arrive and Yousaf Ayub requested journalists to accompany him to the assembly floor where he would apprise lawmakers about the response of the police. He said media personnel could go ahead with the boycott after the briefing.
Later, Peshawar Press Club General Secretary Yousaf Ali, who led the protesting journalists, announced they were boycotting the assembly proceedings. He added they would meet on today (Friday) to decide on the future course of action.
Interestingly, city police chief Ijaz Ahmed had visited the K-P Assembly a few minutes before the session began. He had tried to reason with the journalists, even offering an apology, but the latter did not reciprocate the gesture and castigated him for the detention of their peer.
Ahmed then left the house and did not return even at the behest of the government’s ministers.
