On December 30, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari staged a walkout from the Punjab Assembly after opposition remarks referring to journalists as “sellouts,” a day after the Lahore Press Club had condemned the alleged mistreatment of journalists during the visit of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to Lahore.
Addressing the assembly before walking out, Azma Bokhari said journalists in the press gallery were “beaten and pushed around” by individuals accompanying the KP chief minister during his visit to the provincial legislature. She said journalists had been boycotting assembly proceedings in protest over the incident.
“The whole world witnessed the spectacle in the assembly on the arrival of the KP CM,” she said, adding that despite preparations, the chief minister “brought unauthorised persons with him, who claimed to be journalists”. She alleged that these individuals “beat up journalists from the press gallery and misbehaved with them”, adding, “The footage is available in the assembly’s records.”
The minister said that instead of apologising, the opposition doubled down on their conduct. Referring to allegations levelled against her, she said, “I was accused of planting journalists during the KP CM’s visit,” and added that she had been told she had “paid my employees to pose as journalists”. She said she intended to send a defamation notice.
“In solidarity with what happened with Punjab’s journalists and with the members of the press gallery, I’m staging a walkout,” Azma Bokhari said. The walkout followed remarks made in a previous session by opposition member Col. (retd) Shoaib Amir, who referred to journalists in the press gallery as “sellouts”, triggering outrage among media representatives.
Separately, the Lahore Press Club condemned what it described as the “brutal treatment” of journalists by security guards accompanying the KP chief minister. In a statement, the press club demanded immediate action against the guards involved and warned that “if no action is taken, all future ceremonies and events involving the CM will be boycotted by the media”.
According to witnesses, several senior journalists, including Rao Dilshad, Adnan Sheikh, Ulfat Mughal and Waqas Ghouri, were physically assaulted and shoved by the guards. The press club said the conduct of the security staff showed they “lacked basic civility” and added that “such incidents of violence against the media will not be tolerated”. It also criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, alleging a troubling pattern of misconduct towards journalists.
In a related incident, a senior journalist, Qasim Ahmed of Sach News, was allegedly assaulted during a press conference in Lahore attended by the KP chief minister. According to details, the incident occurred when the journalist raised a question at the press conference, after which the chief minister’s guards attacked him.
The journalist was allegedly detained and assaulted by the guards, sustaining injuries to his lips and neck. He was later examined by doctors for neck pain and was advised to wear a neck collar. The journalist community strongly condemned the incident and demanded an apology.
Journalists said that attacking reporters for asking questions violated democratic and journalistic values and expressed concern over what they described as guards acting with impunity. They demanded immediate and transparent legal action against those involved and urged the government and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of journalists and bring those responsible to justice.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan later said that an inquiry conducted into the incidents surrounding the KP chief minister’s visit would be forwarded to law enforcement agencies.
