![\"Bilawal](\"https:\/\/www.pakistanpressfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/5de731eeebac4-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Bilawal")
A few dozen unidentified people staged a protest outside the\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0offices over publication of a\u00a0news report\u00a0regarding the ethnicity of the London Bridge attacker who stabbed two persons to death last week.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, a similar protest was organised by Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Pakistan Movement outside Karachi Press Club in which the participants chanted slogans against the newspaper.<\/p>\n Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was accompanied by party leaders Farhatullah Babar, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Faisal Karim Kundi, met\u00a0Dawn\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Resident Editor Fahd Husain and\u00a0DawnNews<\/em>\u00a0Bureau Chief Iftikhar Sherazi.<\/p>\n He condemned besieging of the\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0offices and said it was an attempt to pressuring media.<\/p>\n \u201cMedia organisations are being threatened but we will not allow anyone to curb freedom of press,\u201d said Mr Zardari, who is also National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights chairman.<\/p>\n Expressing solidarity with\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0and the journalist community, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said media environment was becoming hostile and PPP stood with\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0at this time and wants to work in tackling this environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are various journalistic standards all over the world, but it\u2019s the responsibility of governments to ensure freedom of press,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a black day in the history of the country that\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0offices have been attacked in the capital in such a manner,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists-Afzal Butt Group (PFUJ) Secretary General Nasir Zaidi along with other union members visited the offices of the newspaper.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not allow any attempt to sabotage press freedom. We have decided to gather outside\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0building in Islamabad on Thursday to give a message that the journalist community is united,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In a joint statement, the newly-elected office-bearers of PFUJ, including its president Shehzada Zulfiqar and the secretary general, condemned the \u201caggression and hooliganism\u201d against\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0on the second consecutive day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly condemn uncalled for pressuring tactics, anti-media behaviour and harassment of\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0and its employees,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) President Arif Nizami also expressed concern over the incident.<\/p>\n In a statement, Mr Nizami said under the incumbent government attacks on journalism had increased manifold which pointed to its hostility towards the so-called fourth pillar of the state.<\/p>\n He also condemned statements made by sitting ministers that preceded the besieging of\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0offices, saying the remarks were a source of concerns for the journalist community.<\/p>\n He questioned the silence of the government officials on the incident, saying the policies employed by the government against media were hurting journalists.<\/p>\n The CPNE chief said journalists must be free to report independently without any fear or pressure.<\/p>\n All-Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (Apnec) Chairman Ikram Bukhari also condemned the besieging of the Dawn offices.<\/p>\n Media Workers Organisation President Kaleem Shamim and Secretary General Raja Javed termed the incident an attempt to curb media freedom.<\/p>\n In Battagram, journalists at a meeting chaired by former president of the local press club Abdur Rehman Khan said besieging of\u00a0Dawn<\/em>\u00a0offices in Islamabad was highly condemnable and an open threat to freedom of expression.<\/p>\n Protest in Karachi<\/strong><\/p>\n Dozens of people also staged a protest demonstration outside Karachi Press Club against\u00a0Dawn<\/em>.<\/p>\n The participants were carrying placards and banners, some of which mentioned Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Pakistan Movement, as the organiser of the protest.<\/p>\n They also threatened to besiege the offices of the media group if \u201cprompt action was not taken against the management and outlets of the organisation for publishing false news.\u201d<\/p>\n Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n Daily Times:\u00a0CPNE shows concern over protests against newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n