Jobless Journalist Asad Toor Assaulted in Islamabad
The YouTuber and freelance journalist sustained wounds on his right arm and was shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment
Freelance journalist Asad Ali Toor was assaulted at his home in Islamabad by unidentified suspects who barged into his house on Tuesday and fled after completing the task.
The YouTuber and freelance journalist sustained wounds on his right arm and was shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Asad Toor told the police that the suspects were armed and they assaulted him with a pistol and pipes.
Senior journalists condemn incident
As the incident was reported, the senior journalists took to their social media accounts to condemn the incident.
They also called for the government to take notice of the attack and showed complete solidarity with their junior counterpart.
Met @AsadAToor bleeding, bruised & battered. He still stood tall.I Hope the govt doesn’t turn a blind eye to this, else no matter how many bills it introduces, the legacy is billing up to be very ugly indeed @ImranKhanPTI #journalists #AsadAliToor @ShireenMazari1 @fawadchaudhry
— Meher Bokhari (@meherbokhari) May 25, 2021
Deeply concerned about the brutal attack on friend and colleague @AsadAToor. Praying for his swift recovery. His attackers must be traced and brought to justice #JournalismIsNotACrime
— Fahd Husain (@Fahdhusain) May 25, 2021
Strongly condemn the attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor. Govt needs to do much more to ensure safety of media workers then just presenting a journalist protection bill.@ShireenMazari1 @fawadchaudhry
— Azhar Abbas (@AzharAbbas3) May 25, 2021
اسدعلی طورپر حملہ شرمناک اور افسوسناک ہے ۔ اللہ انہیں سلامت رکھے۔ جولوگ صحافیوں کی زبان بندی اس طریقے سے کرنا چاہتے ہیں وہ دانستہ یا نادانستہ اس ملک کو افغانستان بنارہے ہیں اوریاد رکھیں جب ملک افغانستان بنتے ہیں تو پھر کسی کی عزت اور اولاد محفوظ نہیں رہتی۔ https://t.co/G7JycekwRu
— Saleem Safi (@SaleemKhanSafi) May 25, 2021
Hope that this time victim will not be blamed for staging a drama https://t.co/Sw18z41hQ7
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) May 26, 2021
‘Jobless’ journalist
Asad Toor’s case is a classic example of exploitation of a junior journalist by his seniors.
It is notable that the victim of the attack works as a freelance journalist and does not have a permanent job.
He has worked with different channels but on a contractual basis.
The same senior journalists who are condemning the attack on Toor have not made any efforts for getting him on the payroll of a media organization they work for and are influential enough to get someone a job there.
The freelance journalist faced a case last year in the Lahore High Court (LHC) as he was charged with defaming military and state institutions.
The petitioner accused Asad Ali Toor of propagandizing against the state institutions on social media and digital platforms.
However, the high court had dismissed all charges as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) could not find substantial evidence against the suspect.
