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Interior Minister Orders Probe Into Police Raid, Assault on Journalists at National Press Club
Islamabad police raid at National Press Club sparks outrage as journalists are attacked. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi orders inquiry, vows action against officials.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-02
Interior Minister Orders Probe Into Police Raid, Assault on Journalists at National Press Club

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered an inquiry into a late-night raid carried out by Islamabad police at the National Press Club (NPC), where several journalists were allegedly assaulted.

In a statement on Thursday, Naqvi called the incident “unfortunate” and directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad to submit a detailed report.

“Violence against the journalist community cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” the minister said, adding that disciplinary action would be taken against officials found responsible.

Raid Sparks Anger Among Journalists

Visuals aired by DawnNewsTV showed police personnel attacking journalists inside the NPC premises. Reports said that police attempted to arrest members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAC) but ended up clashing with journalists in the club’s cafeteria.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt, speaking alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry at a press conference, strongly condemned the incident.

He said that when press club officials tried to intervene, they were “beaten and tortured” by police.

“They even arrested two people, who were later released,” Butt revealed, adding that cameras and mobile phones were broken during the raid.

The PFUJ has announced an emergency session to decide its demands from the government and determine a course of action to prevent future incidents.

Widespread Condemnation

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) denounced the assault, demanding an immediate inquiry.

“HRCP strongly condemns the raid on the National Press Club and the assault on journalists by Islamabad police,” the rights body wrote on X.

Prominent journalists also expressed outrage. Hamid Mir stated that the police “targeted journalists present in the cafeteria,” while Matiullah Jan called the raid “extremely shameful and condemnable,” blaming NPC administration for failing to protect members.

Anas Mallick alleged the raid was linked to efforts to arrest Kashmiri journalists covering a JAC protest call, while Zebunnisa Burki described the visuals from the raid as “insane,” noting that police had stormed the press club itself.

Next Steps

With journalists across Pakistan condemning the raid as an attack on press freedom, all eyes are on the government’s response. The PFUJ’s emergency meeting is expected to outline demands for stronger safeguards for journalists and accountability for the officials involved.
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