Journalist and Supreme Court reporter Asad Ali Toor was physically assaulted by unknown masked men at his residence in Islamabad on Tuesday night.
The video of the incident, where Toor can be seen tied up, battered and bruised started making rounds on social media by midnight and prompted a strong outcry from journalists and civil society who termed it an attack on media freedom and demanded a thorough investigation.
Due to injuries, Toor was moved to PIMS, Islamabad’s largest hospital, for treatment. He also narrated the assault in a video message on Twitter. He told police that his attackers were armed and they roughed him up with a “pipe and handle of their handguns”.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan denounced the attack on Toor, who is critical in his coverage of state affairs.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the attack on Toor was “highly condemnable”.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has said that Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry is in “touch with the police to take necessary action”.
Last month, Journalist Absar Alam was shot outside his house in Islamabad and was moved to hospital for treatment of bullet wounds. Alam has served as a former chairperson of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif.
