Mandi Bahauddin Press Club was demolished in the early hours of Sunday morning, “without any prior notice or warning of the district administration,” said the president of the press club.
The president of Mandi Bahauddin Press Club, Zaheer Khan, said that the club did not receive any demolition notice of the district administration, and the demolition itself took place at 4 am on Sunday morning.
“We didn’t receive any notice, and we were all asleep when this happened,” he said Dawn.com by phone. “We invest a lot of money in this building and our records are destroyed.
“Why did they demolish the building at night?” Khan asked.
Video images recorded by a Dawn.com The correspondent on Sunday showed the interior and the exterior of the building, as well as furniture and other articles that belong to the club scattered on the ground outside.
Khan added that the district administration offered the press club a new location and that he spoke with the assistant attached commissioner on the matter last night.
“We talked on the phone and he told me not to worry, we will make all the arrangements [for a new location]”” Khan explained, adding that the demolition of the existing building was not discussed.
He added that the press club was installed in two stores in government rented. “The surrounding stores were demolished and the owners did not receive notice,” Khan said.
When asked about possible legal actions, Khan said: “At the moment, the club is not chasing any. However, if the district administration does not give us a new location, we will organize protests and involve other press clubs.
“This is a drone attack on journalism,” he lamented. “This building remained for more than 30 years.”
Meanwhile, the president of the electronic media of Mandi Bahauddin, Hafiz Zahid Hameed, described the incident as “very worrying”, reiterating Khan’s statement that the press club did not receive any prior notice of demolition.
“We don’t receive any notice at all,” he said Dawn.com by phone. When asked about the stores mentioned by Khan, Hameed said they had issues with the district administration that “in court.”
Meanwhile, Mandi Bahauddin Faisal Salem’s attached commissioner said Dawn.com That the stores, which were rented of the government, were demolished as part of an anti-en-settling campaign.
“All the stores were removed in an anti-cracking operation last night to expand the road and clear congestion and build a pedestrian path,” the DC said, adding that 24 stores were located in the area.
DC Salem played that the membership of the press club had previously agreed to “replace the club.”
“Yesterday we met with journalists and community members and agreed to move to a new location,” he said. “We told them that we would demolish the building and that we would provide them with a new location tomorrow.
“This was not a press club. Journalists had established their press club in two of the 24 stores that were located in government lands,” said Salem. “The litigation between the owners of the stores and the administration was ongoing for some time, since they had not paid rent.”
