Video editor of “ARY News” television channel was injured in attacked by militants of Islamic State (IS) on January 13, in Islamabad the capital of Pakistan.
The attackers on a motorcycle hurled a hand grenade and fired shots at the office. The security guard tried to catch the attackers but not succeeded. Omar Hayat, a Non-Linear Editor received head injury in the explosion. Window panes and glass door of the office were smashed.
The attackers left behind notes in English and Urdu that stated that the attack was by Islamic State Khurasan and was the reaction to the coverage of “ Zarb-e-Azb” operation by the Pakistan armed forces against militant groups. (The notes are attached)
The pamphlets read “Islamic State Wilayah Khurasan accepts the responsibility of this attack on the media,” and warned “If the media continues to hide and distort facts and serves as stenographers of ISPR (military’s public relations department), taking dictates and amplifying one-sided propaganda, then such a slave media is merely in extension of ISPR and hence we will treat it as a military institution and all its personnel as soldiers of the apostate Napak (Unclean) Army. So do not proclaim this as an attack on journalistic freedom.”
This was the third attack in less than two months on television channels by Islamic State Khurasan. The first was an attack by hand grenade at Faisalabad bureau office of “Dunya News” television channel on November 20, 2015 and injured two staffers. The second was on December 1, 2015 when IS militants hurled a hand grenade at Lahore office of “Din News” television channel and injured a staffer and two police constables.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took the notice of the attack at the television channel and directed the authorities to conduct an investigation and to provide security “ARY News”.
Pakistan Press Foundation
