PESHAWAR – Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club members staged a protest demonstration against the torturing of a Peshawar-based journalist Zahid Merokhail by some unidentified persons and demanded of the government to take strict action against the responsible.
The protest rally was staged in front of Peshawar Press Club, which was led by the office-bearers of Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club officials. Addressing on the occasion, leaders of KhUJ said that Zahid Merokhail was on the way to Peshawar Press Club from Jinah Park when unidentified armed persons picked him up in a vehicle bearing registration number Mardan-5252. The armed persons tried to shift him to some unknown location to further torture him but their vehicle went out of order in front of Peshawar Central Jail.
The armed gang has fractured one hand of Zahid Merokhail. They warned him of severe consequences if he wrote anything against them in future. Later, the armed persons also showed their vehicle number to Zahid Merokhail and asked him to do whatever he could against them.
KhUJs and Peshawar Press Club members strongly condemned torturing of the journalist at the hand of the armed persons. They warned the government to stop the highhandedness of government officials, secret agencies and police against journalist community, saying that they would otherwise bring their wrongdoings before the masses. They demanded of the provincial government to initiate inquiry into the incident and trace the vehicle.