Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi arrived at the National Press Club in Islamabad to show solidarity with journalists after a violent confrontation with Islamabad Police. He strongly condemned what he called an assault on the club’s sanctity, the brutal treatment of reporters and cameramen, and the deliberate destruction of cameras, mobile phones and property in the NPC cafeteria.
The governor met with senior press representatives on arrival, receiving a warm welcome from Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists president Afzal Butt, National Press Club president Azhar Jatoi, secretary Nayyer Ali, vice president Syed Zafar Hashmi, and members of the governing body including Aamir Rafiq Butt, Jafar Ali Balti, senior RIUJ deputy Raja Basheer Usmani and former NPC president Tariq Choudhary.
The governor reiterated that the National Press Club is not only a workplace for journalists but a second home for politicians and the public alike, and described the police action inside the NPC as a regrettable chapter in Pakistan’s history. He demanded both the strictest departmental action against the officers involved and the formation of a high-level judicial commission to ensure exemplary punishment. He also called for immediate compensation for the cameras and other equipment broken during the incident.
Leaders at the club said the attack violated long-standing norms protecting press institutions, noting that even during past periods of martial law police had not entered the press club. PFUJ indicated that it has formed a joint action committee comprising all press groups and will consult with member organisations before responding to the interior ministry’s apology. The union stressed the need for guarantees that police will not be allowed to enter press clubs anywhere in Pakistan again.
Governor Kundi said he would raise the journalists’ charter of demands with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and that suspension and inquiries alone are insufficient without credible, high-level accountability. NPC officials described the wider journalistic community’s solidarity as unprecedented and demanded swift restitution for physical damage and a clear commitment to protect press freedom and safety.
