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KARACHI: The Naushehro Feroze
correspondent of The Daily Regional Times Muhammad Qasim
Isran while talking to newsmen on Sunday said that he is
badly been brutally and unlawfully tortured by the police
when a Special Investigation Team under the leadership of
the TPO South Umer Khitab and Inspector Haq Nawaz Chattha
arrested him from a house in the Korangi area of Karachi
two days ago. The police officials kept at him detained
unlawfully at an unknown place and tortured him constantly
for two days. During their torture of the journalist, they
kept threatening to implicate him in a fake case of possessing
weapons after which he repeatedly told them that he was
innocent. The police authorities despite seeing his press
accreditation card continued to torture him which is absolutely
against the norms of a democratically elected government
which claims to believe in press freedom. The concerned
police authorities also looted cash, a mobile phone, a Sindhi
cap and other valuables from the RT reporter. After two
days the police authorities finally dumped him at Patel
Para in critical condition and warning him of dire consequences
if he spoke about the incident. On the occasion, he demanded
of the high-ups of the Sindh government including the CM
and Home Minister, Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza to take immediate
measures in the matter to provide him justice. Meanwhile,
the Provincial Minister for Anti-corruption and Enquiries
Abdul Haque Bhurt who also hails from Naushehro Feroze while
talking to newsmen said that Qasim Isran is a senior journalist
who has always his raised voice on different issues of national
and provincial importance. The Minister stongly condemned
the torture of Qasim Isran. Besides Mr Bhurt, the DCO of
Naushehro Feroze, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah said that Qasim
Isran is not only a journalist of good repute but also a
social worker of the area who has always served the people
without any discrimination, MPA Ahmed Ali Shah, MPA Dr.
Sattar Rajpar, President of the Food Employees Federation,
Mr Younis Rajpar and leaders of different political, social
and religious parties have also condemned the SIT South
for brutally torturing a senior journalist of the province.
It is worthwhile to mention that the journalists' community
from throughout the province have also taken strict notice
of the torture incident and have condemned it while also
demanding of the Sindh government to immediately take action
such police officials who bring a bad name to the police
dept. The journalists from different cities including Mithiyani,
Tharu Shah, Bhariya City, Moro, Naushehro Feroze and other
areas have also threatened to start a protest movement if
immediate action is not taken in the matter. The leaders
of different political and social parties including the
STPP, the Shehri Ittehad and others have also announced
to stage a series of protest demonstrations in different
cities of the province demanding justice for the tortured
journalist.—RT
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