The grenade attack on the offices of ARY TV in Islamabad represents yet another strike against freedom of expression in Pakistan, underscoring the growing peril faced by media workers in the course of their work, Amnesty International said today.
Two attackers riding a motorcycle threw a grenade and reportedly fired gunshots at the ARY TV offices late on Wednesday. A video editor at the station was injured by shrapnel from the blast.
“This is the latest, depressing addition to a series of brazen attacks in which media workers in Pakistan have been targeted for doing their jobs,” said Champa Patel, Director of Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Office.
Pamphlets left at the scene said the attack had been carried out by Islamic State Wilayah Khurasan, an armed group that claims allegiance to the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS), in retaliation for ARY TV’s reporting of Pakistani military offensives.
“Pakistani media workers can now add being bombed at their desks to a list of occupational hazards that already includes abduction, arbitrary arrest and detention, intimidation, killings, and harassment by state and non-state actors,” Champa Patel said.
“The purpose of these attacks is to intimidate and censor the press as a whole, cracking down on freedom of expression.”
Within the last two months, Islamic State Wilayah Khurasan has claimed responsibility for attacks on the offices of Dunya TV in Faisalabad in November 2015, and Din News in Lahore in December 2015. In total, at least two media workers were killed and six injured in connection to their work in 2015.
Media workers and journalists also face harassment and intimidation from state actors in Pakistan.
The attack on the ARY office comes a day after Pakistan’s paramilitary Rangers force entered and conducted a warrantless search of a New York Times journalist’s home in Islamabad. The government alleged the raid on Salman Masood’s home was part of a larger search operation in the area, but it has since emerged that only a couple of other houses in that neighbourhood were searched.
The Interior Minister ordered an inquiry into the search operation later the same day. Even so, the incident entailed not just an infringement to the journalist’s right to privacy but could also be perceived as a tactic to intimidate him for his work, a lot of which has included writing about current government and military policies.
Amnesty International urges the authorities to conduct a thorough, prompt and transparent investigation into this and other attacks against media workers and journalists, and to bring those responsible to account. The authorities must also ensure adequate protection to media workers, journalists and their families facing threats and attacks due to their legitimate work, while ensuring their independence.

Amnesty International

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the attack on the Islamabad office of the Pakistani television channel ARY News on Wednesday, January 13. The IFJ demands an immediate investigation into the attack by authorities.

According to ARY News, unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade at the Islamabad bureau office of ARY News, on Wednesday evening, also firing gunshots injuring a non-linear editor. The assailants who were riding a motorbike, lobbed a hand grenade at the ARY News offices and fired several shots before security guards retaliated swiftly forcing the attackers to flee away. The attackers threw pamphlets claiming that the Islamic State’s Afghanistan chapter carried out the attack ‘in reaction to the channels coverage of on-going operation Zarb-e-Azb’. Zarb-e-Azb is a joint military offensive being conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant and terrorist groups.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Pervez Rasheed and political leaders have denounced the attack and promised swift action.

In November, 2015, a similar attack took place as unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade on the Faisalabad bureau office of Dunya News TV injuring three people. The attackers had also thrown pamphlets containing threats during the attack.

The IFJ said: “The attack on the offices of the ARY News in Pakistan is a cowardly act of terrorism; and is against the principle of free press and democracy. The IFJ condemns the attack, claimed by the ISIS’ Afghanistan chapter and urge the Pakistani government to take swift action to arrest the attackers as soon as possible.”

“The IFJ also urge the Pakistani government to provide security to media person and media houses to ensure no further attacks take place.”

International Federation of Journalists

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

ISLAMABAD: Terror revisited the federal capital on Wednesday evening when two persons riding a motorcycle hurled hand-grenade at the office of ARY News in Sector F-7/4, causing serious injuries to the driver of DSNG van.

Two persons riding a motorbike entered the office of the news channel from Service Road adjacent to Margalla College for Girls, F-7/4 and hurled hand-grenade/cracker at the channel office. In a bid to intercept the attacker, security guard, Umar, rushed to the attackers but they resorted to aerial firing.

Fear gripped the area after the explosion of the hand-grenade and staff of the channel remained stuck in their office as firing also followed the grenade explosion. Some eyewitnesses didn’t confirm the gun shooting however indicated that gun fire was shot by the security guards who rushed to the attackers to nab them but motorcyclists who intended to enter the office resorted to firing and rushed away from the scene.

The motorcyclists also dropped a letter at the site of the attack, which reads, “Responsibility of this attack is on the media. Our message is simple and clear. Stop siding with the army and government of Pakistan in their global crusade against Islam under the banner of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, by concealing facts. Stop concealing the operation and transgression of this army in the form of missing persons, mass arrests and torture of Ahle Sunnah and relatives of the accused. Stop concealing the numerous cases of arson, burglary and kidnap for ransom, from defenceless Ahle Sunnah belonging to weak backgrounds, by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), in the name of operation against terrorists. Stop covering-up the scale of destruction and massacres done through bombardment in Tribal Areas and Balochistan by the army and plight of IDPs. If the media continues to hide and distort facts and serves as stenographers of ISPR, taking dictates and amplifying one-sided propaganda, such a slave media is merely an extension of ISPR and hence we will treat it as a military institution and all its personnel as soldiers of the army. So do not proclaim this as an attack on journalism freedom.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif denouncing grenade attack at the channel office directed Islamabad IGP Islamabad and DCO to reach the site of the attack. Islamabad additional deputy commissioner said that security of media houses in the twin cities had been tightened and overall security of the twin cities had also been put on high alert.

As per electronic media reports ISIS (Daesh)-Afghanistan has claimed responsibility of grenade attack at the channel office. Political, journalists as well as social activists across the country condemned the attack.

The News