Journalists Walk Out from KP Assembly in Protest Against CM’s Remarks

APP

Peshawar: Journalists staged a walkout from the press gallery of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday, protesting controversial remarks made by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur during a public rally in Islamabad.

The Chief Minister’s comments were deemed inappropriate and offensive towards the journalist community.

The walkout was led by the President of the Khyber Union of Journalists, Nasir Hussain, and the Press Gallery Secretary, Rasool Dawar. Senior journalists Bakhtzada Yousafzai, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Faridullah, Shahida Parveen, Fida Adeel, Shahabuddin, Muhammad Naeem, Zafar Iqbal, Azmat Gul, Khalid Khasghi, Umar, and others also participated in the protest.

Outside the assembly, the protesting journalists raised slogans, demanding an apology from the Chief Minister. They warned that if their demands were not met, they would escalate the protest.

Provincial ministers Zahir Shah, Meena Khan Afridi, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Aqibullah Khan, and other parliamentarians later approached the journalists, assuring them that the Chief Minister would clarify his remarks and address concerns about certain journalists tarnishing the image of the media community.

The government acknowledged the critical role of journalists in upholding freedom of expression and strengthening democracy. Following discussions, President Nasir Hussain and other representatives of the journalist community presented their demands, and the protest was temporarily called off based on the ministers’ assurances.