Case Update Status

Shahid Hussain and Ishtiaq Derweshi are on pre arrest bail.

Summary of Case

"Two local journalists from Gojra and the General Secretary of Gojra Press Club, Rana Mashrood Rashid, Ishtiaq Derweshi, and Shahid Hussain were manhandled by the Chief Officer of the Municipal Committee on August 2, 2023, in district Gojra. Gojra Press Club’s General Secretary Rana Mashrood Rashid among two other local journalists went to the Municipal office to meet Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal on August 2, for the follow-up of their application submitted by Rashid on July 24, which he asked for the official documents of the Gojra Press Club which was sealed in 2022 by Municipal committee. In the application, Rashid asked to provide the sealed documents of Gojra Press Club and for the follow-up of his application he went to the Municipal office where the staff and Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal misbehaved with him and when they tried to make a video of the staff Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal snatched their phone and registered counter-case against them in City Police Station Gojra. Speaking to PPF, Rashid shared that he went for the follow-up for the application submitted to Gondal and instead of answering them Gondal and his staffer started beating Rashid and his two other colleagues including Shahid Hussain Jutt and Ishtiaq Darweshi. “We went to the office to follow up with the application, and when they started beating us one of my colleagues, Ishtiaq Darweshi started making videos of the violence, and Gondal snatched his phone and manhandled him and brutally pushed us from the office,” Rashid told. Rashid is the General Secretary of Gojra Press Club and is also currently affiliated with Such TV as a correspondent. Rashid said he did not tell his organization about the incident, as he independently filed the application and there was no role of his organization in this incident as previously they did not support him when a local journalist registered a case against him two years ago. Rashid had submitted an application to City Police Station Gojra but the police did not register a case against Gondal, after applying application Rashid filed an application to Deputy Superintendent of Police Gojra Aftab Ahmed Siddiqui and he ensured him to take strict action on this. Voice News district correspondent Ishtiaq Derweshi shared that they went for the follow-up on the application’s status upon which the Chief officer started misbehaving with them and insulted them. “Chief Officer Gondal insulted us and said that they do not have any time for these applications, and it is becoming routine that we are visiting the Municipal office frequently when we said that they are civil servants and they are bound to answer our application they started beating us and snatched the mobile phone from us” Derweshi added. Voice News Bureau Chief Ahsanullah Mir told PPF that yesterday Derweshi informed the organization about the matter and he went to the Municipal’s office for the follow up not for the coverage they started coverage when the staffer and Chief Officer started beating them. Gojra Press Club President Arshad Mehmood condemn the incident and informed PPF that Shahid Hussain Jutt and Ishtiaq Derweshi applied for pre-arrest bail however Rashid did not apply for any pre-arrest bail, Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal misbehaved with the journalists yesterday and Press club have demanded the dismissal of FIR against the journalists."

Category of Incident

Case Register

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: 0202 -Acts against liberty

ICCS Group: 02022-Deprivation of liberty

ICCS Class: 020222-Illegal restraint

ICCS Crime: Acts against liberty

Reported By

PPF safety monitors group

Date of incident

2

Month

August

Year

2023

Name of affected person

Ishtiaq Derweshi

Other affected persons

Rashid Mashhood Rashid

Name of affected organization

Voice News

Other affected organizations

Such TV

Action by

By the Chief Officer of the Municipal Committee, Ishtiaq Gondal

City

Gojra

Province

Punjab

Designation

Reporter

Professional category

Journalist

Age of victim

38

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date compensation paid by others: No compensation announced

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: No

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: No

Court where case was presented: Case was not presented in court.

Name of prosecuting lawyer: Case was not presented in court.

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: Case was not presented in court.

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

Not required to contact

APNS

CPNE

PBA

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

Not required to contact

Employer organization

"Voice News district correspondent Ishtiaq Derweshi shared that they went for the follow-up on the application’s status upon which the Chief officer started misbehaving with them and insulted them. “Chief Officer Gondal insulted us and said that they do not have any time for these applications, and it is becoming routine that we are visiting the Municipal office frequently when we said that they are civil servants and they are bound to answer our application they started beating us and snatched the mobile phone from us” Derweshi added. Voice News Bureau Chief Ahsanullah Mir told PPF that yesterday Derweshi informed the organization about the matter and he went to the Municipal’s office for the follow up not for the coverage they started coverage when the staffer and Chief Officer started beating them."

Press Club Status

Press club 1: "Gojra Press Club’s General Secretary Rana Mashrood Rashid among two other local journalists went to the Municipal office to meet Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal on August 2, for the follow-up of their application submitted by Rashid on July 24, in which he asked for the official documents of the Gojra Press Club which was sealed in 2022 by Municipal committee. In the application, Rashid asked to provide the sealed documents of Gojra Press Club and for the follow-up of his application he went to the Municipal office where the staff and Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal misbehaved with him and when they tried to make a video of the staff Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal snatched their phone and registered counter-case against them in City Police Station Gojra. Gojra Press Club President Arshad Mehmood condemn the incident and informed PPF that Shahid Hussain Jutt and Ishtiaq Derweshi applied for pre-arrest bail however Rashid did not apply for any pre-arrest bail, Chief Officer Ishtiaq Gondal misbehaved with the journalists yesterday and Press club have demanded the dismissal of FIR against the journalists."

Press club 2:

Press club 3: