Pakistan s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency has distanced itself from the May 26 attack on journalist Asad Toor, the Pakistani information ministry said Saturday. The statement came after a high-level contact between the Ministry of Information and the spy agency.
Islamabad: An Islamabad-based blogger and journalist Asad Ali Toor was attacked and tortured by unidentified assailants inside his apartment.
Three men with masks attacked Toor, according to the First Investigation Report (FIR) registered with police, after they broke into his apartment on the night of May 25, and threatened him of dire consequences if he raised his voice.
Toor, who lives alone in his apartment, tried to resist but was forcibly moved to another room and tortured.
The incident comes barely a month after the attack on Absar Alam, senior anchorperson and ex-Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Absar Alam was shot and injured on April 20 while he was walking in a park near his house in Islamabad.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday that criticising Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, has become a fashion for the Western media. Chaudhry said this in an interview with Stephen Sackur on BBC HARDtalk. He contested the claims about press freedom and protection of journalists in the country.