Hindu reporter beaten at PDM anti-govt 'jalsa' in Karachi by 'volunteers'
Oct 19, 2020
Karachi [Pakistan], October 19 : A Hindu reporter was beaten in Karachi during People's Democratic Movement's (PDM) anti-government 'jalsa' for revealing that 'volunteers' were stopping people from leaving the Bagh-e-Jinnah garden.
According to SAMAA TV, its reporter Sanjay Sadhwani was asked to stop reporting when he filmed people trying to leave the venue. A man claiming to be a volunteer told the Sadhwani to leave even after he saw his press card. The volunteer grabbed Sadhwani's hand and refused to let go.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told SAMAA TV that people who thrashed reporter Sadhwani will be identified and punished.
Sadhwani was covering the second power show of the 11-party opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). The first was held in Gujranwala in Lahore.
Among the list of leaders who showed up at the 'jalsa' includes JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Maulana Shah Owais Noorani, Allama Sajid Mir, Dr Abdul Malik, Iftikhar Hussain, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini.
According to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir activist, Amjad Ayub Mirza, all channels had stopped live coverage of jalsa.
During her address at jalsa, Maryam lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan and the PTI government for what she claimed as tarnishing the army's image by using it to hide [their] own failures.
