Geo News team assaulted during Faisalabad flood coverage

FAISALABAD: A Geo News team reporting on flood-affected residents in Faisalabad was assaulted and forcibly removed by personnel of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) force on Saturday.

Reporter Irfanullah said he and his cameraman, Ali Arsalan, were speaking to residents who complained that the relief camps set up by the district administration were located too far away, with no means of transport to reach them. 

Many villagers, he said, were reluctant to evacuate as they had to move not only their families but also their livestock, which forms the backbone of their livelihood.

During the coverage, Pera force Regional Director Zubair Gilani arrived with around 25–30 personnel. 

“When they saw that people were talking to us, they started misbehaving with them and told us to leave the area immediately. Our cameraman was slapped and his camera was confiscated,” Irfanullah said, adding that the team was manhandled and forced out of the area before their equipment was eventually returned.

The Pera force, however, rejected allegations of violence. Gilani said the media team had gathered around 150 people close to the riverbank, creating unnecessary risk.

“We do not allow media to put people’s lives in danger for viewership. We only asked the team to move people away from the riverside,” he said.

Gilani stressed that no violence took place and that the force was acting in its state duty to keep people safe. “If the team feels wronged, we apologise, but we must ensure people remain away from dangerous areas,” he added.

Flood-affected villagers, meanwhile, complained that only mosque loudspeakers were being used to announce evacuation orders, without practical guidance on where to go.

“We don’t know which relief camp to reach. Our fields are under water, our cattle are without fodder, and we are losing both homes and livelihoods,” the residents complained. The residents of the Ravi belt, who depend heavily on livestock, are facing a double whammy of inundated fields and displacement.