Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has condemned PTI workers' attack on historic building of Radio Pakistan and office of APP, beating and harassing media persons and staffer of both organisations in Peshawar.
In a joint statement, the PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and giving them exemplary punishment.
They also called for immediate inquiry into the serious laps of security to the official media outlets and broadcaster Radio Pakistan and APP.
The journalist body said damaging newsrooms of both organizations, and beating and harassing their staffers are unwanted and unacceptable.
Earlier, Director General Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) Tahir Hassan in a statement said that miscreants of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday launched a major attack on the building of Radio Pakistan Peshawar.
He said hundreds of miscreants stormed into the building of Radio Pakistan, breaking the main gate. The miscreants ransacked in the News Room and other sections of the station.
Tahir Hassan said the miscreants had also attacked the building of Radio Pakistan Peshawar last night, but they again launched attack today and also perpetrated violence against the staff including women. They set on fire the official record and equipment.
The DG Radio Pakistan said the miscreants also set on fire the parked vehicles inside the station and destroyed and looted the official equipment including cameras and Mics.
Meanwhile, Station Director Radio Pakistan Peshawar Ijaz Khan has said that the situation of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar is quite tensed.
In an interview with Radio Pakistan News and Current Affairs channel today, he said some two hundred protestors barged into the building of Radio Pakistan at 10:00 am today, while breaking the main gate. They destroyed and ransacked in the reception of the station and thrashed windowpanes. They also entered the main studios where they destroyed the entire equipment.
He said we repeatedly requested them not to destroy the state broadcaster, but all in vain.
The Station Director said demonstrators again entered the building at nearly 12:00 at noon and ransacked inside the main building and destroyed equipment including computers and other official record.
They also set ablaze main building and vehicles including three official vehicles parked inside the station besides motorcycles.
He said the sole objective of the demonstrators was loot and plunder and even they hurled life threats to the staff members.
Ijaz Khan said the real situation will come forth when normalcy will return. He said the level of destruction is so high that we transmission from the Peshawar Station is closed now.
He appealed to the people of entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to come forward and play their role to stop the miscreants from inflicting heavy loss on the state broadcaster.
Source: Radio Pakistan