On March 1, police forcibly entered the Quetta Press Club (QPC) premises and detained candidates who had gone inside the press club for a press conference to protest delays in their appointment letters after appearing in recruitment tests for jobs in the Balochistan Education Department. Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is alarmed by the decision of the police to enter the premises of the press club in such a manner and undermine its sanctity and independence. The press club must be able to operate without interference, which it has a right to do.
According to Dawn, a heavy police contingent, equipped with prisoner vans and water cannons, had been deployed at the press club since early in the morning to deter the protestors, and police had also arrested protestors gathered outside. When some demonstrators moved inside to hold a press conference, police stormed the building, allegedly manhandling journalists who attempted to stop the police from entering before detaining candidates.
In a joint statement, the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) and QPC management called it “a blatant attempt to curb freedom of expression.” They demanded an impartial investigation and the immediate suspension of officials involved.
“This is an unprecedented and intolerable incident. First, the district administration targeted press freedom, and now the police have emulated them. Such actions cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” the BUJ said.
The QPC said they would deliberate on the matter before deciding their next course of action.
The Karachi Press Club (KPC) also strongly condemned the incident and termed it a “violation of the sanctity of the QPC.” In a joint statement, KPC President Fazil Jamili and Secretary Sohail Afzal said: “It’s an act which has desecrated the sanctity of the press club and cannot be tolerated.”
The opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also condemned the police action, calling the incident yet another glaring example of the ongoing “reign of terror.” PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram denounced the “intolerable and unacceptable” incident stating that the “oppressive action” was not only an attack on the media but also an “assault on the freedom of expression.
