PAKISTAN: Gunmen open fire at the offices of a Pakistani television news channel in Karachi, wounding two people

Record ID: 353665

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Gunmen open fire at the offices of a Pakistani television news channel in Karachi, wounding two people
  • Date: 27th June 2012
  • Summary: KARACHI, PAKISTAN (JUNE 26, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF AAJ TELEVISION BUILDING VARIOUS OF POLICE GUARDING BUILDING AAJ TV STAFF COMING OUT OF BUILDING DOOR WITH BULLET HOLES IN IT RULING PAKISTAN PEOPLE'S PARTY (PPP) LEADER SHARJEEL MEMON ARRIVING POLICEMAN BRIEFING MEMON BULLET HOLES IN DOOR MEMON TALKING TO AAJ TV STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) RAFIQ AZAD, SENIOR RE
  • Embargoed: 12th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Crime,Communications,Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA60WM2G6G7STOS5764HDB3WBBO
  • Story Text: Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire at the offices of a Pakistani television news channel in the southern city of Karachi on Monday (June 25), wounding two people, including a security guard, police officials said.
    The gunmen fled after the attack, which targeted the building of Urdu-language news channel Aaj TV, police said.
    "Four armed terrorists riding two motorcycles fired at the building, injuring two of our security guards. The injured were immediately rushed to hospital. About an hour later, a person calling himself Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the TTP, called us claiming responsibility for the attack," said Rafiq Azad, a senior reporter at the TV station.
    The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, and threatened attacks against other television channels that did not feature the Taliban point of view.
    Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), told Reuters they had told the management of Aaj TV to include their point of view in their reporting, but "the channel had become a mouthpiece of the government".
    He warned that Geo TV would be the group's next target, saying the channel had used "very bad language against the mujahideen".
    Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries for news coverage, according to Reporters Without Borders, with 10 journalists killed - most of them murdered - in 2011 because of their work.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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