Assault on News Team Covering Flood Victims in Faisalabad

Faisalabad: A media team reporting on the circumstances of flood-affected individuals in Faisalabad experienced an assault and were forcibly expelled by members of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) on Saturday.

Reporter Irfanullah stated that he, along with cameraman Ali Arsalan, were engaging with locals who voiced concerns regarding the inconvenient distance of relief camps established by the local administration and the absence of transportation to access them.

He noted that numerous villagers were hesitant to leave their homes because they had to relocate their families and their livestock, which is crucial to their livelihoods.

During the reporting, Pera force Regional Director Zubair Gilani appeared with a contingent of approximately 25 to 30 personnel.

“Upon witnessing the interviews, they started mistreating the residents and demanded our immediate departure. Our cameraman was physically assaulted, and his camera was taken,” Irfanullah mentioned, further stating that the team was aggressively removed from the premises before their equipment was ultimately returned.

The Pera force, conversely, refuted claims of violent conduct. Gilani stated that the media team had assembled roughly 150 individuals in proximity to the riverbank, thereby engendering needless hazard.

“We do not permit media outlets to jeopardize public safety in pursuit of higher viewership. We simply requested the team to guide individuals away from the river’s edge,” he clarified.

Gilani emphasized that no acts of violence transpired and that the force was performing its mandated duty of ensuring public safety. “If the team believes they were wronged, we offer our apologies; however, we must guarantee that individuals stay away from perilous locations,” he added.

Meanwhile, flood-affected villagers expressed their dissatisfaction, noting that evacuation directives were solely communicated through mosque loudspeakers, lacking practical guidance on designated relocation sites.

“We are uncertain about which relief camp to go to. Our farmlands are submerged, our livestock is deprived of sustenance, and we are enduring losses of both residences and livelihoods,” the inhabitants lamented. Residents residing in the Ravi region, who heavily depend on livestock, are grappling with the compounding challenges of flooded fields and displacement.