Those who ordered the attack on the National Press Club should be severely punished, Pakistan All Professional Newspersons Alliance (APNA)

Strongly condemns the police raid on the National Press Club and the violence and vandalism against members and journalists for entering the club

Media is the fourth pillar of the state, but incidents like police brutality are regrettable, President Mian Ghaffar Ahmed, Secretary General Muzammil Suhrawardy

Staff Reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV Report

Lahore: Pakistan All Professional Newspersons Alliance (APNA) President Mian Ghaffar Ahmed, Secretary General Muzammil Suhrawardy and members of the Federal Executive Council have strongly condemned the raid on the National Press Club by the Islamabad Police and the violence and vandalism against members and journalists by entering the club, and demanded that the authorities take immediate notice of this incident and take action against those responsible. The APNA leadership says that the attack on the National Press Club is an attack on freedom of the press and democratic values, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. They said that the media is the fourth pillar of the state, but incidents like police brutality are regrettable, which are tantamount to suppressing freedom of expression and are intolerable. The APNA leadership has expressed solidarity with the office bearers and members of the National Press Club and demanded that those who ordered the attack and those involved in it be severely punished according to the law and that journalists be provided with complete protection so that they can perform their professional duties without fear and insecurity. They have demanded that the government and relevant institutions take effective steps to protect journalists from harassment and violence and formulate a strict policy in this regard so that such incidents can be prevented in the future. The APNA leadership has demanded that immediate action be taken against those responsible so that the unrest among journalists can be removed and future incidents of crossing the boundaries of the Press Club and violence against journalists can be prevented.