The Parliamentary Reporters Association Pakistan has strongly protested after journalists were stopped from entering Parliament House while covering an ongoing opposition sit in.
The association called the move undemocratic and a direct attack on press freedom, saying reporters were prevented from doing their constitutional duty of informing the public.
The protest began after opposition leaders from both the National Assembly and the Senate started a sit in inside Parliament House. According to the association, covering such major political activity is the professional responsibility of journalists. However, when reporters arrived to continue their coverage, they were blocked at the entrance by security personnel.
The President of the Parliamentary Reporters Association Pakistan, M.B. Soomro, along with senior journalist Akram Abid and other reporters, attempted to enter Parliament House but were stopped at the main gate. Security officials allegedly pushed journalists and prevented them from proceeding further.
The situation escalated when senior journalist Akram Abid was reportedly grabbed by the arms and forcibly placed inside a police van.In response, M.B. Soomro intervened and declared that if Akram Abid was arrested, he would also accompany him. Following this strong stance, the journalist was released.
The association described the incident as highly disturbing and unacceptable.In its official statement, the Parliamentary Reporters Association Pakistan condemned the restrictions and said that stopping journalists from entering Parliament House amounts to denying them their constitutional and professional rights.
The association stated that Parliament is a national institution and should not be turned into a restricted zone where media access is blocked. The association emphasized that journalists have the fundamental right to report on the activities of elected representatives, especially during important political developments such as a parliamentary sit in.
Preventing media access, it warned, damages transparency and restricts the flow of accurate information to the public.The statement further described the action as undemocratic and authoritarian, arguing that free media access is essential for any democratic society. If reporters are stopped from performing their duties, citizens cannot receive timely and reliable information about what is happening inside Parliament.
The Parliamentary Reporters Association Pakistan has demanded the immediate removal of all restrictions on journalists’ entry into Parliament House. It also called for effective measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future.
