A senior Pakistani journalist and political analyst has been assaulted by unidentified masked males, who additionally tore his garments, as he left his workplace right here within the Punjab province, a day after he termed Pakistan’s highly effective military generals “property dealers”.
Ayaz Amir, 73, was returning residence late Friday after recording his tv present for Dunya News TV channel, the place he works as a senior analyst, when unknown individuals stopped his automotive. The attackers then manhandled him and likewise tortured his driver earlier than fleeing from the scene.
With bruises on his face, Amir stated that the masked males not solely “hit him and tore his clothes, they also took away his cellphone and wallet. They left when people started gathering on the busy road”. Pictures circulating on Twitter confirmed the journalist sitting in a automotive together with his shirt torn. In a tweet later, Amir stated those that attacked him didn’t care about his age.
“I have no personal enmity with anyone and I had no quarrel with anyone. Whoever attacked me didn’t even care about my age,” he stated.
“The only fault was that I speak the truth and I will continue to speak, God willing,” he stated in one other tweet.
On Thursday, throughout a speech at a seminar in Islamabad on the ‘Regime Change and its Fallout on Pakistan’, Amir focused the highly effective navy institution for its function in Pakistan’s politics. The seminar was additionally attended by former prime minister Imran Khan. He referred to the military generals as “property dealers” and even urged eradicating the portraits of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the nation’s nationwide poet Allama Iqbal and changing them with the “property dealers”.
In an oblique reference to Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Amir stated he was into his sixth 12 months of tenure and in search of one other extension. Parts of Amir’s speech have gone viral on social media.
The highly effective Pakistan Army, which has dominated the coup-prone nation for greater than half of its 73-plus years of existence, wields appreciable energy in issues of safety and international coverage.
Amir additionally identified in his speech the errors dedicated by Khan, who was ousted from energy in April by means of a no-confidence vote, throughout his tenure because the nation’s prime minister particularly following the traces of the navy institution. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault on Amir and ordered Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz to carry a high-level investigation.
“Suspects should be brought before the law as soon as possible. Journalism and protection of journalists should be ensured,” Geo News reported.
Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has sought a report from the Inspector General of Police over the assault of the senior journalist and ordered that the culprits be arrested on the earliest.
Reacting to the incident, ousted premier Khan tweeted, “I condemn in strongest terms the violence against senior journalist Ayaz Amir today in Lahore. Pakistan descending into the worst kind of fascism with violence and fake FIRs against journalists, opposition politicians, and citizens. When the state loses all moral authority, it resorts to violence.” Journalists, lawyer our bodies and rights activists condemned the assault.
“Supreme Court of Pakistan needs to take suo moto (cognizance) of this terrorism against one of the most respected, non-controversial media figures. Ayyaz Amir is around 73 years of age! One of the most respected English columnists Pakistan has ever created! HRCP and Dawn and civil society must stand,” senior journalist Moeed Peerzada tweeted.
