HAFIZABAD - The chairman Hafizabad District Press Club who was also associated with a local TV channel was brutally shot dead by unidentified assailants here in broad daylight on Sunday.
Deceased Muhammad Yaqoob Shahzad Amar, correspondent of Express Media Group was sitting in a motorcycles showroom adjacent to Bus Stand when someone called him outside on his cellphone. As soon as he came outside the accused holding 9MM pistol shot him in the chest. The deceased ran inside the showroom where the accused followed him and fired a volley of gunshot on him as a result of which he died on the spot. He left behind a wailing widow, an aged mother, a wife and four minor children.
The dead body was shifted to DHQ hospital by Rescue-1122. City Police SHO Khurram Gull, DSP Saddr and DPO Muhammad Zubair Dareshak rushed to the spot and constituted special teams to arrest the accused. On the report of his brother Muhammad Farooq, a case has been registered at the City Police Station.
The news of gruesome murder of young, bold and competent journalist spread like wild fire in the city and surrounding towns and hundreds of citizens, social and political workers particularly journalists of Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Jalalpur Bhattian, Sukheke Mandi and Kaleke Mandi thronged DHQ hospital where they started protest against the police. Later, they took out a rally from DHQ Hospital and raised slogans against the police. They also staged sit-in at Fawara Chowk and railway gates on Gujranwala Road and blocked traffic for several hours, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. They announced that they would continue sit-in till the arrest of the accused.
However, DPO himself arrived on the railway gates and strongly condemned the murder and assured that he would spare no pain in arresting the accused in the shortest time possible.
On his assurance, the journalists given up sit-in demonstration. Meanwhile, Saira Afzal Tarar Minister of State for Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and Provincial Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, DCO Muhammad Usman have strongly condemned the murder and directed the police to arrest the accused promptly. Meanwhile, all the political parties, religious organisation, traders association, labour union, PMA and DBA have strongly condemned the murder of Yaqoob Shahzad Amar and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.
The PFUJ has also strongly condemned the murder and demanded early arrest of the accused.
After autopsy the dead body was handed over to his brother.
He was laid to rest in the railway lines graveyard in the evening. The funeral was attended by large number of journalists, lawyers, traders, social, political and religious workers.
Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has taken serious notice of the murder of the District Press Club chairman and directed the DCO and DPO to ensure early arrest of the accused.