(PPF/IFEX) – On 27 August 2004, two staff members for the independent television station Geo were mistreated by Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials in Karachi. Reporter Mohammad Bin Yousaf and cameraman Mehboob Ali were trying to cover a narcotics raid for Geo. They introduced themselves to the ANF officials, who prevented them from filming the raid […]
(PPF/IFEX) – On 27 August 2004, two staff members for the independent television station Geo were mistreated by Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials in Karachi.
Reporter Mohammad Bin Yousaf and cameraman Mehboob Ali were trying to cover a narcotics raid for Geo. They introduced themselves to the ANF officials, who prevented them from filming the raid by breaking their camera and seizing their mobile phones. Bin Yousaf and Ali were roughed up and taken to the ANF police station, where they were detained for four hours.
The ANF authorities initially denied the incident. However, following the intervention of the ANF’s joint director, Colonel Khizr Ilyas, Bin Yousaf and Ali were released and the authorities apologised to Geo for mistreating the journalists. A tape seized from Ali was subsequently returned but was found to be blank.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) condemned the ANF officials’ actions and demanded that the government initiate an inquiry into the incident and take measures to avoid such incidents in the future.
