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Ousted Pak premier Sharif's security guards assault cameraman of TV channel

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Press Trust of India Islamabad

A cameraman of a Pakistani television channel was assaulted by security guards of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif here on Monday.

The incident occurred outside the Parliament when the ousted premier arrived to meet his younger brother Shehbaz, who is facing a probe by the National Accountability Bureau.

A TV footage showed cameraman Syed Wajid Ali of a private media channel, Samaa TV, lying on the ground outside the Parliament building after being knocked down by a security guard of Sharif when he came in the way of the PML-N chief to record his movements.

Another guard is then seen rushing towards the cameraman and kicking him squarely in the face. The guard then escapes the scene in one of the vehicles.

 

The cameraman was rushed to a hospital. Doctors said he is out of danger.

Condemning the incident, Pakistani journalists staged a protest at the Parliament and demanded arrest of the guards.

While one of the security personnel involved in the attack has been arrested, the guard who kicked the cameraman is currently on the run.

Following the attack, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser banned politicians from bringing their security guards inside the parliament's premises in the future.

"No matter how big a leader somebody is, they should leave their security (protocol) outside the parliament," he said.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry condemned the incident, saying, "The government (Sharif) has ended, but their Mogul-like mentality has not.

Meanwhile, Sharif also condemned the assault in a statement, saying he was "deeply saddened" by it.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: Dec 17 2018 | 11:25 PM IST

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