Pak rights commission condemns 'assassination attempt' on journalist Absar Alam

Lahore [Pakistan], April 21 : The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned the "assassination attempt" on the country's leading journalist Absar Alam in Islamabad.
The rights commission in a statement on Tuesday termed these "cowardly acts" of violence against journalists as an assault on an "already muzzled media."
"He (Absar Alam) received a bullet in the abdomen and has undergone surgery. We wish him an early recovery and demand that the government brings the culprits to book immediately. HRCP sees such cowardly acts of violence against journalists as an assault on an already muzzled media," the statement said.
Senior journalist and former Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA), Absar Alam, was shot in Islamabad on Tuesday.
In a video message, he said, "I've been hit in my ribs" and added that he had not lost hope.
He added in a video shared by another Pakistani journalist, Asad Toor, "My message to those who did this is that I am not going to be scared by such tactics".
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemned the incident and demanded that the attackers be arrested immediately. "It seems that deep state is at large against journalist community who are victims of rising crime and terrorism in the country," the union said in a statement.
"Such incidents cannot deter the journalist community from raising the voices against lawlessness and (for) freedom of the press in the country," it added.
The union also demanded that a judicial commission be set up to investigate the attack against Alam and crimes committed against other journalists.