ISLAMABAD – A protest organised by the Azad Kashmir Awami Action Committee outside the National Press Club spiralled into chaos on Thursday when Islamabad police forced their way into the building.
Witnesses said officers stormed the premises, smashing property in the cafeteria and physically assaulting journalists present inside. The incident, which also saw a press club employee reportedly taken away by police, has drawn widespread condemnation from the journalist community.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar termed the raid “deeply unfortunate,” declaring that the press club was “like my own home” and insisting that no one had the right to storm inside. He assured journalists that a full inquiry would be carried out into the incident.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi swiftly took notice, seeking a detailed report from the Inspector General of Islamabad Police. He ordered a thorough investigation and warned that violence against journalists “would not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry later told reporters that the clashes erupted when some protesters manhandled police officers, including a Superintendent of Police and a Station House Officer. Police, in pursuit of the protesters, entered the National Press Club, where the confrontation escalated.
