ZTBL officials thrash journalists

Officials of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) and Islamabad Police have thrashed journalists to bar them from coverage of a raid conducted by Revenue Department's team to recover over Rs 85 million.
After protest from journalist community, Islamabad Police have registered a case against the ZTBL officials in Aabpara Police Station and arrested five persons including chief security officer of the bank Colonel (Retd) Mansoor, who ordered to hold media teams hostage at the premises of the ZTBL Islamabad, has been arrested on Wednesday.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan after hearing the news reached outside ZTBL to show solidarity with journalists. In the presence of the Information Minister outside the ZTBL police resorted to baton charge on the media men instead of arresting the real culprits involved. Many media persons sustained injuries in the police baton charge including Sadaqat Ali, who received serious injuries on head.
According to the details, media teams of two private television channels after receiving the report about a raid of the Revenue Department's team at ZTBL for recovery of Rs 85 million, they rushed towards the headquarters of the Bank to cover the event. The security guards and other employees of the Bank on behest of the Security chief took both teams as hostage.
ZTBL employees brutally tortured the journalists and ripped of their clothes broke their cameras and mobile phones. Security staffs have closed the building's doors and are assuming a threatening, abusive stance towards the media outside the building. After hearing the news about making journalist hostage media-men of Islamabad reached outside the ZTBL to rescue the hostages from the ZTBL employees.
Heavy contingents of Islamabad Police and Anti-Terrorist Squad arrived for rescue purposes, but did not launch the needful action. Despite the passage of over an hour, police had not started proper efforts to rescue the media teams from ZTBL's employees.
ZTBL employees released media men after the arrival of police contingents, but did not hand over the culprits (security in charge and his accomplices); police arrested two other security guards. Talking to media she said that Colonel Mansoor has been arrested and cases have been registered against ZTBL employees and police officials who tortured the journalists.
The minister assured media persons that strict action would be taken against men involved in the incidents, adding better healthcare facilities would be provided to the injured journalists. Firdous Awan also promised that compensation would be paid for the loss incurred in the two incidents. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amer Ahmed Ali has said that judicial inquiry into alleged torture on journalists and other people by security employees of ZTBL will be completed within 48 hours.
He termed this incident very sad and said that First Information Report will be registered against the perpetrators, while judicial inquiry into the matter would be completed within 48 hours. He said that recommendations of the inquiry would be shared and those who became victims of the incident can lodge their statement before inquiry commission.
"This action of torture is totally unauthorised and this was very sad incident," Deputy Commissioner said adding, that Judicial Inquiry will be conducted as supplement with FIR. It will be defined in Judicial Inquiry where the lapse occurred, as it was the fault of administration of the organisation, Islamabad Police or Magistrate. This action was not sanctioned legally and responsible of the act would be brought to justice, he added.