The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned an attack on local TV channel ARY News in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi by activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that left at least one person dead and several others injured.
The violence occurred shortly after MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who lives in self-imposed exile in London, gave a telephone address on Monday encouraging his followers to attack media that he said did not give due coverage to his party, including Geo News, Samaa and ARY News channel.
According to news reports, workers of regional party MQM were staging a hunger strike in front of the Karachi Press Club against what the party alleged were extra-judicial killings of its members by law enforcement agencies when Hussain called for the attacks.
Television footage showed dozens of men and women armed with rods and batons storming into the offices of ARY, attacking its employees, smashing doors, windows and equipment, and setting fire to several vehicles. Several journalists from other media organisations, whose offices are located in the same building as ARY, were also attacked in the incident.
MQM workers also clashed with police on the streets. One unidentified man was killed and seven others were injured, two with gunshot wounds, hospital officials said. Three of the injured were reportedly camerapersons for television channels covering the protests.
Channels in Pakistan are barred by court order from giving Hussain coverage because of past controversial statements, although other leaders from his party regularly appear on various TV channels. Police arrested a senior leader of MQM, Farooq Sattar, as he arrived to address a news conference in front of the press club after the incident.
IPI Executive Board Member and Secretary General of the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) Owais Aslam Ali also condemned the attack on the private television channel in the strongest possible terms.
“It was shocking to hear the Altaf Hussain, leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a major political party, not only viciously abuse Pakistani media in his address to party workers,” he said. “[Hussain] then taunted his followers that the offending television channels continue to operate, and then gave detailed instructions how they should go and attack three television channels.
“This level of irresponsibility is completely unacceptable and MQM should not only disown such behaviour by its leader but should also provide credible guarantees that such action will not be repeated in future. The party should also compensate the media houses for the damage they caused and to the media professionals who were injured in the violence by MQM activists.
“The video recordings of the attack clearly show those involved in violence and I call on the government to ensure that all responsible are held to account.”
IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis similarly condemned the attack.
“We call on the Pakistani authorities to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation into the attack on ARY News and to hold those responsible to account,” he said.
