HYDERABAD: Office-bearers of the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC) demanded of the government to help recover senior journalist Farhan Affendi, who was picked up from his home by some armed men after breaking the door of his house late on Thursday night.
Mr Affendi is Bureau Chief of ARY television channel and president of the Hyderabad Union of Journalists.
According to Mr Affendi’s wife, some armed men, who identified themselves as officials of the Karachi police, broke into their house, entered his bedroom and took him away even though he was not even wearing his shirt and shoes. They did not mention any reason for his ‘arrest’, she said.
Hyderabad Press Club President Ishaque Mangrio, General Secretary Hamid Shaikh and other office-bearers and members of the governing body strongly condemned the kidnapping and humiliation of a senior journalist and warned the government that if Mr Affendi was not released immediately, they would appeal to all journalists of all press clubs of the province to hold rallies to condemn the incident.
They said that if he (Mr Affendi) was arrested then why he was picked up in a terrorist-like manner because that was not the legal and moral way to arrest anybody.
They said that police officers of the Hyderabad district and responsible persons of government were unable to verify his arrest.
They also said that the administration of the private TV channel for which Mr Affendi had been working did not share its contention on some issues with office-bearers of the club.
They expressed their anger over the situation and warned the government not to adopt such attitude and if someone or any organisation had any complaint against any journalist, there were civilised and legal ways to handle the matter.