An unruly group of Jang/Geo Group journalists violently disrupted Cable Operators Association of Pakistan's (COAP) press conference here on Friday afternoon, Samaa reported.
According to sources, as soon as the
president of COAP, Khalid Aaraeen started speaking to media at Karachi Press
Club (KPC) , dozens of angry Jang Group journos attacked him with barbs of all
kinds.
This is for the first time in the history of
KPC that "freedom of expression" was so brutally strangled by none
other than those who claim to be its biggest proponents.
The argument, which started with an exchange
of allegations took a turn for the worst at the very outset of the press
briefing. "The wild brawl that ensued left the KPC press conference room
in an utter mess", said a Samaa TV reporter.
Shattered windowpanes, broken furniture,
mangled electronic equipment, torn-down curtains, and other destroyed property
of KPC spoke volumes about the 'Sturm und Drang' it saw in a short time.
After wreaking the mayhem, which analysts say
was premeditated, Jang Group staffers succeeded in sending the cable operators
packing.
Later talking to Samaa TV, Khalid Araeen
condemned Jang Group mediamen’s shameful sabotage of their press
conference.
“We were manhandled,
threatened, and cursed, by the Jang Group journalists”, said he.
To a question, he said that COAP was not
expecting such hooliganism for the so-called educated journalists representing
Pakistan's largest media group.
“It was absolutely
shocking. They just pounced on us like hungry wolves. We were accused of
depriving Jang/Geo employees of their livelihood”, said he.
When asked whether Geo TV's transmission will
be shut down, he said, "It’s nothing personal; however, we believe in
the recently issued 'fatwa' (religious edict), according to which watching Geo
TV is a sin."
He further added that cable operators would
not propagate anything that was against Islam.
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