Journalists in Pakistan Announce “Black Day” After Police Raid on National Press Club

Islamabad, Pakistan (M.Saleem ): Journalists across Pakistan have announced a nationwide “Black Day” on Friday after police stormed the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad, assaulted journalists, and vandalized property inside the premises. Black flags will be hoisted at press clubs across the country, while protest rallies will be organized in major cities.

Leaders of major journalist unions, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Bahawalpur Union of Journalists, and Pakistan Digital Media Journalists Association, strongly condemned the incident, calling it “an attack on press freedom and democratic values.”

PFUJ President Afzal Butt described the raid as “the darkest day in Pakistan’s journalistic history,” adding that “the National Press Club is the second home for over 3,500 journalists, and its sanctity has been violated.” He stressed that globally, law enforcement agencies are barred from storming courts, bar councils, or press clubs, but Islamabad police broke that norm.

RIUJ President Tariq Ali Warraich said the police deliberately targeted journalists, photographers, and videographers, snatching and smashing their cameras and mobile phones. NPC Secretary Nayyar Ali added that even during military dictatorships, such an incident had never occurred inside the press club.

The Bahawalpur Union of Journalists warned that if authorities fail to take action and hold police officials accountable, journalists from across the country would march toward Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Digital Media Journalists Association said the assault represented “a dangerous precedent of authoritarianism” and vowed mass protests if the government fails to intervene.

The journalist community collectively resolved that the upcoming Black Day protests would be the beginning of a nationwide movement to ensure that “this is the last attack on any press club in Pakistan.”