(PPF/IFEX) – On 10 September 2003, allegedly on the orders of the speaker of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) Assembly, the entire staff of the Assembly Secretariat attacked journalists covering the assembly proceedings. According to reports, infuriated secretariat staff members carrying sticks and iron bars damaged the motorcycles of journalists who had parked in front […]
(PPF/IFEX) – On 10 September 2003, allegedly on the orders of the speaker of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) Assembly, the entire staff of the Assembly Secretariat attacked journalists covering the assembly proceedings.
According to reports, infuriated secretariat staff members carrying sticks and iron bars damaged the motorcycles of journalists who had parked in front of the press gallery. Security staff and other police officials were at the scene, but did not intervene.
The staff members also assaulted a journalist in the speaker’s chamber, in the presence of Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Malik Zafar Azam, who was in negotiations with four other assembly members.
The Assembly Secretariat staff attacked the journalists despite the law minister’s repeated reminders to them that he was trying to negotiate between the two parties. At one point, the minister had to physically intervene to protect the journalists from aggressive staff members.
A minor issue between the secretariat staff and journalists took a bitter turn when the journalists, who had earlier exchanged heated words with staff over delays in bringing forward the agenda, were invited to the speaker’s chamber.
In a joint meeting, the journalists decided to boycott the assembly proceedings to protest against the speaker and his secretary, who supported the assembly staff in their attack on the journalists and their motorcycles. Journalists’ organisations condemned assembly staff members for “trampling on the sanctity of the speaker’s chamber.”
The journalists asked the speaker to apologise for his remarks about them. They also asked him to dismiss staff members who attacked the journalist in his chamber, in Minister Azam’s presence. Furthermore, the journalists asked the government to pay for repairs to their motorcycles by deducting money from the salaries of those staff members responsible for the damage. A six-member committee was formed to recommend a future course of action.
