Update @ 1826: An eye witness account of arrests & baton charge on journalists

Via e-mail from Anis Haroon who relates who journalists and his friends from Public Relations at various news agencies were first baton charged by the police and then arrested when they attended a peace rally outside the Karachi Press Club, earlier today at 1500:

The print and electronic media had given a call for procession on 20th November (14th day of Emergency/Martila law) at 3:00 pm. When I reached there as usual Press clubs’ entrances were sealed off by Police vans from both sides.
When the procession reached near the patrol pump (gas station) riot police came forward to stop us. The journalists raised slogans and tried to break off the fotified barriers. The “Lathi charge” began and leaders like Sabihuddin ghosi, Faisal Aziz Khan, Ahfazurrehman and shamimurrehman got arrested.

The police chased us hitting with their batons down to press club. some of the journalists and photographers got beaten up badly who were then dragged to the van. The police wanted to enter the press club on the pretext of stone throwing from inside but some journalists stood guard and stopped them.
Most of them present went outside and sat on the ground chanting slogans for the release of arrested colleagues. when it became clear that they r not going to to be released, a number of them went a head to court arrest. a large number of them were arested n sat in the vans raising slogans. seven women journalists with 2 from the People’s Resistance — Husna and Urooj also courted arrest. They have now been taken to different “Thanas” (police stations) and are detained.


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