Media stages walk out from press galleries of Parliament in protest against PM AJK for leveling serious allegations against a journalist

ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (SABAH): Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Wednesday issued ruling on imposing restrictions on politicians and other personalities against hurling allegations on journalists relating to treason and terrorism and terming them agents of foreign agencies. 

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Kaira pledged to talk to Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanvir Ilyas Khan on the matter of hurling allegations against a reporter of a private TV channel and terming him foreign agent and added, “I condemn these allegations. We stand by with the journalist community.”

Journalists staged walk out of the press galleries of the Parliament whereas Qamar Zaman Kaira along with Federal Minster Shazia Atta Marri came to media lounge for holding discussions with the media persons.

On this occasion, President Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) Siddique Sajid, Secretary Asif Bashir Chaudhry, Sohail Khan, Amir Waseem, Muhammad Akram Abid and other journalists briefed the government officials of the gravity of the issue.

To this, Qamar Zaman Kaira along with Shazia Mari condemned the act of terming the reporter of a private TV channel an agent of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India and expressed solidarity with the journalist community.

Taking up this matter at floor of the National Assembly, Kaira said that PM Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan termed the reporter the agent of a foreign agency and afterwards threatened and abused him through cell-phone call which was intolerable act, adding so much so he has not still apologized to the reporter.