Case Update Status

Matter has been amicably resolved after the Director PERA apologized team Geo.

Summary of Case

On August 31, in Faisalabad, a Geo News team led by reporter Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan was allegedly assaulted by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority personnel, led by Regional Director Zubair Gilani, while covering flood-affected residents. The team was manhandled, the cameraman was slapped, and their equipment was confiscated before being returned, with PERA later apologizing and claiming they acted to ensure public safety. Geo News reported that its team, led by reporter Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan, was allegedly assaulted by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel while covering flood-affected residents in Faisalabad. According to the report, the team was speaking to locals who expressed concerns about the distance to relief camps and the lack of transportation for their livestock. PERA officials, led by Regional Director Zubair Gilani, arrived and reportedly manhandled the team, slapping the cameraman and confiscating their equipment, before later returning it. The report says that PERA, however, denied the allegations, claiming the media team had gathered a crowd near the riverbank, posing a risk to public safety. The authority stated they had acted within their duty to ensure safety and apologized if their actions were perceived as wrong. Meanwhile, flood-affected villagers complained about the lack of clear guidance on evacuation procedures and relief camp locations, highlighting their struggles to protect their homes and livelihoods. Irfanullah, reporting live for Geo News from flood-hit Faisalabad, described how the team came under assault while covering the plight of displaced villagers. He explained that the residents were reluctant to leave their homes because the government-established relief camps were too far away, and no transportation facilities had been provided. Many villagers told the reporter that they could not abandon their livestock, which was their only source of livelihood. As the live coverage continued, officials from the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), led by Regional Director Zubair Gilani and accompanied by 25 to 30 personnel, arrived at the site. According to Irfanullah, the officials immediately reacted harshly to the gathering of villagers around the camera. He reported that the PERA team misbehaved with the people, ordered the news crew to leave, and even manhandled the team. “Our cameraman was slapped, and his camera was snatched,” Irfanullah stated during the broadcast. He added that the equipment was only returned later, after the confrontation ended. Irfan Ullah shared his experience with PPF about covering flood-affected areas in Faisalabad. On August 31, at 10 am, Irfan and his team, including cameraperson Arsalan Ali and driver Bilal Ahmed, visited Miyan Ilyas Pur village to report on the flood's impact. They shared live updates and interviews with Geo News, highlighting the locals' concerns about government camps being far from their homes and the need for transportation to relocate with their belongings and crops. The locals were worried about their crops and wanted to take them to the camps, appealing to the government to arrange containers or trolleys to save their belongings. However, after sharing his report, Irfan received a WhatsApp message from Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir, accusing him of negative reporting. Irfan ignored the message and continued his coverage. When they reached the adjacent village, Jeevan Thatta, by 12 pm, they were confronted by the Deputy Director of PERA, Zubair Gilani, and around 30 others, including police. Gillani started abusing and manhandling locals, and Irfan was also physically assaulted. His camera and equipment were seized. When Arsalan started capturing the scene, Gillani snatched the camera from him and misbehaved with the locals, asking why they hadn't been shifted to the camp yet. Gillani ordered the police to remove the media team from the area. Irfan tried to discuss the matter with Gillani, but he was met with aggression. Gillani slapped the cameraperson and pushed the team back, ordering them to stop coverage. Irfan reported the incident to his desk in charge, and after consulting with Geo News' harassment cell, they decided to broadcast the entire incident live, highlighting the harassment faced by the media team. Although no formal complaint or FIR was filed due to the critical flood situation as they let the situation go. Irfan urged that the management should apologize or conduct a departmental inquiry. Geo News reporter Hammad Ahmed corroborated the story, emphasizing that Irfanullah is the Office Senior Reporter (OSR) for Geo Faisalabad and is best positioned to share his account of the incident. The Faisalabad Photojournalist Association, affiliated with the Faisalabad Press Club, strongly condemned the alleged torture of Geo News cameraman Ali Arsalan and the mistreatment of the news team's in-charge, Irfanullah, by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel. According to the association's President, Muhammad Tahir Najafi, such attacks on journalists are a blatant assault on press freedom and cannot be tolerated. In a statement, Najafi emphasized that media representatives risk their lives to highlight public issues and bring facts to light, making such incidents regrettable and condemnable. The association's Secretary, Bashir Ahmed Aya, demanded immediate and strict action against the officials involved in the incident. Aya also called for complete security for journalists during coverage, warning that failureto address these incidents could lead to protests by journalistic organizations. Speaking to PPF on September 03, Muhammad Tahir, former president of the Faisalabad Press Club, strongly condemned the alleged assault on Geo News senior correspondent Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel. According to Tahir, PERA officials, led by Regional Director Zubair Gilani, abused and pushed Irfanullah, while the cameraman was subjected to violence. Tahir stated that such attacks on journalists are unacceptable and highlighted the need for journalist safety and protection. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemned the alleged mistreatment of Geo News' Faisalabad Station Head, Irfanullah, and cameraman Ali Arsalan by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel while they were covering flood victims in Tandlianwala, Faisalabad. The Faisalabad Union of Journalists (FUJ) Dastur strongly denounced the torture of Geo News Faisalabad reporter Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan by PERA Force personnel in Tandlianwala. The FUJ Dastur leadership, including President Syed Zikrullah Hasani and General Secretary Shahroz Ibad, expressed solidarity with Irfanullah and appreciated the apology extended by PERA Force Regional Director Zubair Gilani on TV. President of the Faisalabad Union of Journalists, Syed Zakirullah Hasani, spoke with PPF and discussed the incident involving Irfan Ullah and his team. Hasani said that Geo Team was covering a flood-affected area near the Ravi River in a village of Faisalabad. The Punjab Enforcement and Regularity Authority (PARA), a law enforcement agency, was tasked with rescuing and evacuating people. When the Geo team arrived for reporting, PERA personnel misbehaved with them. Given Irfan Ullah's position as Vice President of the Faisalabad Union of Journalists, the union directly contacted the authorities and announced plans to protest. The union aimed to reach out to Rana Sanaullah, Personal Advisor to the Prime Minister, to discuss the matter. Although the issue is ongoing, the DPT Director of PERA apologized on camera for his behavior during the live coverage, resolving the matter. No further action was taken due to the apology, said Hasani. Faisalabad Press Club's IT Admin, Shafique Ahmad, told PPF that the club tends to avoid commenting on matters involving the government. When asked about the General Secretary and President of the Club, Ahmad consulted with the General Secretary, who declined to comment on the issue. The President of the Faisalabad Union of Journalists (FUJ) also confirmed that the Faisalabad Press Club neither released a statement nor showed support regarding the matter. Prominent journalist Hamid Mir condemned the actions of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), stating that a new force, parallel to the Punjab Police, had subjected Geo correspondent Muhammad Irfan to unnecessary torture in the Tandlianwala Jeevan Thatta area. According to Mir, PERA officer Zubair Gilani led the incident and later falsely claimed Irfan was standing on the riverbank.

Category of Incident

Assault

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: Assault- 0201

ICCS Group: 02011 -Assault

ICCS Class: 020111

ICCS Crime: Assault

Reported By

Geo News

Date of incident

31

Month

August

Year

2025

Name of affected person

Irfanullah

Other affected persons

Ali Arsalan

Name of affected organization

Geo News

Other affected organizations

N/A

Action by

Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority personnel

City

Faisalabad

Province

Punjab

Designation

Reporter

Professional category

Journalist

Age of victim

N/K

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation was announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation was announced

Date compensation paid by others:

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: No

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: N/A

Court where case was presented: N/A

Name of prosecuting lawyer: N/A

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: N/A

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

"The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemned the alleged mistreatment of Geo News' Faisalabad Station Head, Irfanullah, and cameraman Ali Arsalan by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel while they were covering flood victims in Tandlianwala, Faisalabad. The PFUJ Federal Executive Council, which concluded a two-day meeting in Multan, passed a resolution demanding that the Punjab government take immediate action against those responsible, particularly Zubair Gilani, whose actions were seen as an attack on press freedom. The council warned that if no action is taken, the PFUJ will formulate a plan of protest to protect journalists' rights and press freedom. "

APNS

Not condemned

CPNE

Not condemned

PBA

Not condemned

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

Prominent journalist Hamid Mir condemned the actions of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), stating that a new force, parallel to the Punjab Police, had subjected Geo correspondent Muhammad Irfan to unnecessary torture in the Tandlianwala Jeevan Thatta area. According to Mir, PERA officer Zubair Gilani led the incident and later falsely claimed Irfan was standing on the riverbank.

Employer organization

N/A

Press Club Status

Press club 1: Faisalabad Press Club's IT Admin, Shafique Ahmad, told PPF that the club tends to avoid commenting on matters involving the government. When asked about the General Secretary and President of the Club, Ahmad consulted with the General Secretary, who declined to comment on the issue. The President of the Faisalabad Union of Journalists (FUJ) also confirmed that the Faisalabad Press Club neither released a statement nor showed support regarding the matter.

Press club 2: Speaking to PPF on September 03, Muhammad Tahir, former president of the Faisalabad Press Club, strongly condemned the alleged assault on Geo News senior correspondent Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) personnel. According to Tahir, PERA officials, led by Regional Director Zubair Gilani, abused and pushed Irfanullah, while the cameraman was subjected to violence. Tahir stated that such attacks on journalists are unacceptable and highlighted the need for journalist safety and protection.

Press club 3: N/A