Senior journalist and political analyst Ayaz Amir was assaulted by "unidentified men" in Lahore on Friday night, he told Dunya News.
A visibly distressed Amir said his vehicle was intercepted by “unidentified men” as he left the office after the recording of a show for Dunya News.
“A man wearing a face mask stepped out of the vehicle and collared my driver.
“As I questioned the man, a couple of other men gathered around my vehicle, opened the door of my car and attacked me, and dragged me out of the vehicle,” Amir said.
He said that the attackers also assaulted him on the road.
“As people began gathering, the attackers then made off with my mobile phone and wallet,” he said, adding that it was an attempt to usher him into silence, but he won’t bow down.
“I have always stood with the truth, and I always will. Such cowardly attacks cannot silence me,” Amir added.
The assault comes a day after Amir criticised the role of the country's military establishment while also pointing out mistakes committed by Imran Khan during his reign as the country's prime minister in his speech at a seminar organised by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association on the topic ‘Regime Change and its Fallout on Pakistan’.
The event was also attended by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Condemnations and solidary messages poured out as soon as the news went viral. Soon after, #WestandwithAyazAmir began trending on Twitter.
Immediately after reports of the attack on Amir were shared on Twitter, PTI Chairman Imran Khan strongly condemned the "violence" against the senior journalist.
"Pakistan is descending into the worst kind of fascism with violence and fake FIRs against journalists, opposition politicians and citizens. When the state loses all moral authority it resorts to violence," the PTI chairman said in a tweet.
Journalists and media persons also condemned the attack in the strongest words.
Later, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz took notice of the incident and sought a report from the inspector general of the Punjab police.
In a statement, he said the attackers would be arrested and dealt with soon.
"The incident is highly condemnable. The dispensation of justice in the case will be ensured," the chief minister added.
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