ISLAMABAD: Ahmad Noorani, a senior journalist, was assaulted by unidentified men in Islamabad on Friday.
He has been shifted to the Polyclinic Hospital for the provision of medical treatment.
The journalist’s car was stopped by three men travelling on a motorcycle near Zero Point, and it is being said that three more men joined the attackers and started hitting Noorani with iron rods and thrashing him after taking out the car keys from the ignition system.
The incident took place at Khayabane Suharwardy near the Federal Urdu University in Islamabad.
The bikers were said to have sped off and that their bikes had no registration plates on them.
Onlookers started gathering at the site and it quickly developed into a traffic mess.
Police have started an investigation into the incident and are currently recording the witnesses and onlookers statements.
Noorani has been giving extensive media coverage to the Panama Papers verdict and legal troubles faced by the Sharif family. Critical of certain elements in the state, Noorani recently deleted his Twitter account fuelling speculations of intimidation and threats.
Pakistan is placed at among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists as it ranks 139 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2017 compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
