Location: Pakistan, Karachi   
Date: May 27, 2022

Zamzam Saeed and several other media workers were attacked by rioters during recent political rallies by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) across the country. Zamzam, a reporter at Samaa TV, was following the demonstrations in Karachi when she and her team were attacked and injured by a mob. Cameraman Imran Khan was also wounded in the attack while equipment and vehicles were damaged. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attack on Zamzam and Samaa TV crew. We call on all political leadership and media houses to ensure effective safety measures for journalists are in place. 

The rise in political temperatures in the country after former prime minister Imran Khan’s ouster last month has left journalists increasingly vulnerable to threats, slander and abuse. 

On May 25, Zamzam and her team from Samaa TV were attacked while filming a mob setting a private TV channel’s vehicle on fire during PTI protests at Numaish Chowrangi in Karachi. The mob, allegedly of PTI workers, turned on them and pelted them with stones while hurling vile abuses at the crew. Zamzam and her cameraman were both injured. 

On Samaa TV’s current affairs segment hosted by journalist Nadeem Malik, Zamzam recounted the attack. “My clothes were torn, I was kicked, our equipment was broken, stones were thrown on our cameraman, media workers managed to rescue me with great difficulty,” said Zamzam. “I was locked in a private channel’s vehicle and PTI workers were calling for me to be pulled out of the van and threatening to take my life.”

Zamzam said that this was not the first time that she has faced such threats at a PTI rally.  She recounted that she and her team were subjected to similar attacks when Khan hosted a political rally in the metropolitan city last month as well. 

In a video posted on Twitter on the day, Zamzam asked till when PTI supporters would continue to target media workers associated with Samaa TV. 

Journalist Asif Hassan of the Agence France Presse (AFP) also came in the line of attack when stones were being pelted on police officers trying to disperse the crowds. He was taken to Aga Khan University Hospital and received five stitches.

In the capital city of Islamabad, DSNG vans of Aaj News, Neo News and Hum News were attacked and damaged. The offices of Geo News in Islamabad were pelted with stones.

Local journalist bodies have repeatedly called out hostile attitudes propagated towards the press by the political leadership of the country. Different private news channels have faced the ire of different mainstream political parties under accusations of being partisan. Despite the current coalition government’s claims that media freedom, which took multiple severe hits during the ousted PTI government, would be restored, journalists continue to be threatened. 

Shortly since the coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came into a power, achorpersons of a pro-PTI private TV channel were subjected to state-linked legal harassment. 

With the political leadership accusing certain media houses of being partisan and propagating hostile attitudes towards the press, something which Khan’s PTI has been repeatedly accused of, journalists remain prone to attacks on ground as well. Last month, the CFWIJ reported online attacks on journalist Gharidah Farooqi after she called out vile and sexist threats brandished against her at another PTI rally in Karachi. A participant of the rally carried with him a banner threatening Gharidah with rape. Online, the journalist was subjected to further threats and abuse by organized trolls associated with the PTI. Read our detailed coverage here. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled at the impunity with which political leaders and workers continue to attack journalists offline and online. We strongly condemn the attack on Zamzam Saeed and her colleagues at Samaa TV. Political parties must actively discourage hostile attitudes towards journalists and ensure that the rights of the press are respected. The CFWIJ reiterates its call for effective safeguards for journalists in the field. We call on the authorities to hold the perpetrators of the attacks on journalists at recent political parties to account. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.