Unidentified men attempt to abduct Pakistan Geo TV journalist Azaz Syed

Islamabad: A Pakistani journalist working with a prominent TV channel has claimed that unidentified men tried to abduct him. Azaz Syed, a journalist with Geo TV, said he was intercepted by a masked bike-rider at Park Road near Banigala police station. A car of the suspected kidnappers was following closely. The suspects asked him to come out of the car but he sped towards a police station to take shelter. The police then barricaded all the roads but failed to catch the alleged kidnappers. Islamabad SSP Sajid Kiani ordered the area police to get CCTV footage to trace the suspects. Interior minister Nisar Ali Khan was informed about the incident. The police registered a case and started an investigation into the matter, police said. No arrests have been made so far, it added. Syed is known for his provocative questioning at the press conferences. His house was previously attacked in 2010 and car was damaged. Pakistan is considered as one of the most dangerous place for journalist and at least 60 journalists have been killed since 1992, according to Committee to Protect Journalists. In 2014, Hamid Mir escaped an assassination attempt on his life when gunmen shot at his car while he was on his way to Geo’s Karachi office.