publish time

05/12/2019

author name Arab Times

publish time

05/12/2019

In this Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, photo, angry Islamists chant slogans during a demonstration against an independent Pakistani newspaper Dawn, at outside the Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan. Dozens of angry Islamists swarmed the building of an independent Pakistani newspaper in the capital, Islamabad, blocking its entrance for several hours, threatening the staff and demanding its editor be hanged, the newspaper reported Wednesday. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Dozens of angry Islamists swarmed the building of an independent Pakistani newspaper in the capital, Islamabad, blocking its entrance for several hours, threatening the staff and demanding its editor be hanged, the paper reported Wednesday.

A simultaneous protest also took place Tuesday evening in the southern port city of Karachi, where the Islamists gathered at the Press Club, demanding that Dawn’s editor Zaffar Abbas and publisher Hameed Haroon be hanged. The demonstrators, who later dispersed, were angered that the English-language paper had reported that the London Bridge attacker was of “Pakistani origin.”

The Islamist protest was condemned by Pakistani rights groups, journalist organizations, politicians and members of civil society advocating for the rights of journalists.

In this grab taken from video made available by @HLOBlog, a man is surrounded by armed police after an incident on London Bridge, in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. A man imprisoned six years for terrorism offenses before his release last year stabbed several people in London on Friday, two fatally, before being tackled by members of the public and then fatally shot by officers on London Bridge. (inset) This undated photo provided by West Midlands Police shows Usman Khan. (AP)

Pakistani journalists said they would hold nationwide rallies on Thursday to condemn the besieging of Dawn’s offices. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan backed the call, expressing its support for media freedoms. (AP)