A journalist has said that he was threatened with death, harassed at gunpoint and had dogs set loose on him while reporting on encroachments at a madrassa linked to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad.
Journalist Tayyab Sarwar said he visited Jamia Maarif-ul-Shariah in Islamabad to seek the madrassa administration’s position on a Capital Development Authority (CDA) notice and report on violations of building regulations.
According to Sarwar, students present at the madrassa threatened him, unleashed dogs on him and intimidated him by pointing firearms at him.
He further said that individuals associated with the madrassa threatened to kill him when he questioned them about the CDA notice and violations of building regulations.
Sarwar has submitted a formal application to Margalla Police Station, seeking action over the harassment and death threats.
The CDA had issued a notice to JUI-F over the use of a residential building in Sector F-8/3 as a madrassa and violations of building regulations.
The incident has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s harassment and the presence of dogs and armed individuals at the premises operating as a madrassa.
