Taleban Terrorists Attacked Imtiaz Alam

Taleban Terrorists attacked an outspoken journalist Imtiaz Alam, who is quite vocal against taleban in Print and Electronic Media.

SAFMA secretary general Imtiaz Alam attacked

* Assault followed by threatening phone call
* Veteran journalist says will not stop speaking out against terror

By Adnan Lodhi

LAHORE: Unidentified men attacked senior journalist Imtiaz Alam late on Wednesday.

Imtiaz Alam, who is the secretary general of South Asian Free Media
Association (SAFMA), said he was travelling to his house in Doctor’s
Colony at about 11pm when four men attacked his car with batons. Alam
was injured when a shattered window glass struck his arm.

After battering the vehicle for several minutes, the bearded men clad in
shalwar kamiz fled on their motorcycles. Alam said the men were aged
between 25 and 30.

His wife, Dr Nusrat Habib, told Daily Times
she heard the men thrashing the car – not too far away from the house.
She said she saw the men as they fled.

Alam said he received a telephone call from a cell phone (0323 4580562) about 45 minutes later
that warned him of ‘dire consequences’ if he told anyone about the
attack.

A local resident said the six men had been hiding in the
street waiting for the car to approach. Four of them attacked the
vehicle and two looked on, he said.

Shadman Station House Officer Hamad Akhtar said an FIR had been registered and a probe would begin soon.

The veteran journalist said the ‘cowardly act’ was meant to stop him from
speaking out against terrorism, but vowed to continue to raise his
voice.

Daily Times Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi said this was an
act of terrorism and an attack on independent media. He urged the
democratic government to take the attack on Alam seriously.