The head of Jamia Al-Noor, Maulana Mushtaq-ur-Rehman Zahid, has strongly condemned the recent police violence at the National Press Club Islamabad, describing it as an open attack on journalistic freedom. According to Zahid, this incident is an intolerable violation of the sanctity of the Press Club and an assault on the media, which is recognized as the fourth pillar of the state.
Journalism enjoys unrestricted freedom globally, but Zahid pointed out that some conspiratorial elements within the country are making futile attempts to curtail journalistic freedom. He vowed that these efforts will be thwarted and clarified that journalists have historically been subjected to such strategic attacks aimed at suppressing journalistic freedom. Despite these trials, the journalist community has consistently acted as a bulwark against these nefarious conspiracies.
Zahid emphasized that compromising on journalistic freedom has never been an option, nor will it ever be negotiable. He described the attack on the National Press Club in Islamabad as a planned conspiracy that must be immediately exposed to prevent the recurrence of such condemnable acts. He demanded that the responsible officers who attacked the Press Club be immediately suspended and punished. Zahid stressed the need for a comprehensive investigation into the incident to safeguard journalistic freedoms and prevent the recurrence of such actions in the future.