ISLAMABAD: Some participants of the Azadi March manhandled mediapersons of a private TV channel and damaged ‘digital satellite news gathering’ (DSNG) vehicle on Saturday.

Azaz Syed and Farhat Javed Rabbani of Geo TV while covering the event came across an unfriendly crowd of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), although they hid their identity to avoid the wrath of the enraged PTI workers as their chairman Imran Khan and the TV channel are not at good terms.

Interestingly, the same crowd gave warm welcome to the reporters and supporting staff of ARY News channel.

A PTI activist, Gulfam Khan Pathan, a joint secretary of union council Hamsheeran district Mansehra of Kyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP), said that since their leader Imran Khan had boycotted Geo TV therefore its staff deserved the treatment.

Amjad Ali Khan Sarkheli, another PTI activist from KP, said Geo TV was distorting facts about the Azadi March and had resorted to character assassination of their leader Imran Khan therefore the workers were annoyed.

Faisal Javed, deputy secretary information of PTI, however, played down the incident.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2014