In Pakistan’s National Assembly, the alleged behavior of the Prime Minister of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Iftikhar Gilani—who reportedly hurled verbal abuse at and leveled accusations against Haider Shirazi, a journalist for a private television channel—has been strongly condemned.
In protest against this incident, journalists present in the press gallery boycotted the assembly proceedings. Government representatives subsequently engaged in talks with them, successfully persuading them to return to the House.
Addressing the matter, Qamar Zaman Kaira, the official overseeing Kashmir affairs, along with other members of the assembly, described the conduct of the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir as highly inappropriate. The House was assured that the incident involving the journalist—and the behavior displayed toward him—would be formally and officially taken up with the government of the Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir.
It should be noted that censorship is currently rampant in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where the regional administration continues to target journalists through arrests and the filing of fabricated cases.
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