Unidentified armed men on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed explosive material at the offices of the Express Media Group in Karachi, Pakistan. The building houses the offices of the "Daily Express Tribune", "Roznama Express" and "Daily Sindh Express" papers and the Express TV news channel.
Two staff members were injured on December 2, 2013 when unidentified armed men on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed explosive material at the offices of the Express Media Group in Karachi, the capital city of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province. The building houses the offices of the Daily Express Tribune, Roznama Express, and Daily Sindh Express newspapers and the Express TV news channel.
The attackers threw two tennis balls containing explosive material at the main entrance and opened fire on the building at around 7 PM on December 2. Salman Fazili of the marketing department and security guard Faizan Ali were injured. Fazili received minor injuries, while Ali received a gunshot wound to his foot. Some vehicles in the parking lot were also damaged.
Talking to the Pakistan Press Foundation, Mr. Kamal Siddiqi, Editor of Express Tribune, said the motive behind the attack could not be ascertained and that a criminal case has been filed with the local police. This was the second attack on Express Media Group. The first attack took place on August 16, 2013, during which two people were injured after unknown assailants opened fire on the offices.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemned the attack on the media group. Talking to PPF, Amin Yousuf, Secretary General of PFUJ, said that journalists across the country observed a “black day” and protest demonstrations were held in different cities including Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, and Peshawar to condemn this attack. He demanded of the authorities to arrest those involved in the attack as soon as possible.
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) organized an emergency meeting to condemn the attack and to demand that the government seriously investigate who is behind these attacks.
