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Wion's Pak journo escapes kidnap bid

Almost a dozen of armed men tried to take charge of WION's Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui's cab while he was on his way to Islamabad airport on Wednesday morning.

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A senior Pakistani journalist representing WION, the global English news channel owned by Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), escaped abduction in Islamabad. Almost a dozen of armed men tried to take charge of WION's Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui's cab while he was on his way to Islamabad airport on Wednesday morning. He escaped by jumping out of the moving vehicle.

Siddiqui posted a message via journalist Cyril Almeida's Twitter account, recounting the details of the kidnapping attempt. He started the tweet by identifying himself and clarifying that he was using Almeida's account. "This is Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) using Cyrils a/c. I was on my way to airport today at 8:20am whn (sic) 10-12 armed men stopped my cab & forcibly tried to abduct me. I managed to escape. Safe and with police now. Looking for support in any way possible #StopEnforcedDisappearances— cyril almeida (@cyalm) January 10, 2018."

Siddiqui was beaten, threatened with death and his belongings were taken. "They threw me into the back of the vehicle in which I was travelling, but the door on the other side was open," Siddiqui told WION from the police station where he was filing a report on the incident. "I jumped out and ran, and was able to get into a nearby taxi," he said.

Editor-in-Chief of the channel, Sudhir Chaudhury, said despite threats and intimidation WION shall remain committed to pursuing journalism. He asked Islamabad to ensure Siddiqui's safety and security. "Despite the shocking attack on WION's Pakistan Bureau Chief, Taha Siddiqui, WION remains committed to pursuing fearless journalism from the soil of Pakistan. We will continue to report, expose and comment on events in that country."

"We now expect the government of Pakistan to ensure Taha Siddiqui's safety and security and get to the bottom of these dastardly attacks, intimidation, assaults and threats to our colleague," he added. In a statement, Chaudhury reminded that Taha was the only journalist to criticise the ill behaviour meted out to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav when they visited Pakistan and was trolled on social media by fellow Pakistani journalists.

In Pakistan, the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists also raised concern over the abduction attempt. Top journalists Mosharraf Zaidi, Hamid Mir, Rabia Mehmood, Raza Rumi put out tweets condemning the incident. "This brute thuggery is unacceptable. It only damages Pakistan. Intimidation cannot suppress voices that do not align with more favourable narratives. Stop trying," said Zaidi. "Journalist community must condemn the kidnapping attempt of TahaSSiddiqui (sic) with full unity no compromise on harassment of media," journalist Hamid Mir wrote.

Amnesty International also sent out a press release, asking the Government of Pakistan to thoroughly probe the incident. "Journalists like Taha Siddiqui have a right to carry out their work freely and without fear," Deputy South Asia Director of global human rights watchdog Omar Waraich said, adding adding that journalism is not a crime, but attacking journalists is.

In May 2017, Siddqui had filed a writ petition with Islamabad high court alleging harassment by the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The petition says the FIA demanded that Siddiqui come to its headquarters for interrogation. When Siddiqui replied that his work was in the public domain and that any questions could be asked over the phone, the FIA said it would "be better" for Siddiqui to appear before it.

Pakistani media reported that Islamabad Police has began investigations into the attempt of abduction. Superintendent of Police Dr Mustafa Tanveer confirmed that Siddiqui approached police soon after the incident.

Incidents of enforced disappearances have been reported with alarming frequency in Pakistan. In November, the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, placed Pakistan among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

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