Editor of The News beaten up for watching TV

An editor of one of Pakistans leading English dailies was beaten up by four men outside his home in the port city of Karachi for watching TV and listening to music

An editor of one of Pakistans leading English dailies was beaten up by four men outside his home in the port city of Karachi for watching TV and listening to music.

Though the incident occurred on August 27 and Zainul Abedin,op-ed editor of The News daily,reported the matter to police,no action has been taken by authorities so far,journalists in Karachi said.

The men who attacked the journalist were members of a proselytising group. According to Abedin,four men kicked open the gate of his house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area at 11 pm (local time) on August 27 and began to abuse him.

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When Abedin went to the gate to talk to the men,he was surrounded and grabbed. One of the men objected to Abedin watching TV and listening to qawwalis.

When he asked them who they were and why they had objections to what a person did in the privacy of his home,one of the men reportedly said: We do have a problem with these things but we will solve your problem today.

The men beat Abedin and one of them punched him on the face and broke his glasses. As they kicked and slapped Abedin,the men warned him they would not let him go unless he repented and said he would not watch TV or listen to music.

The men attempted to follow Abedin into his house,where he lives with his sister,but he closed the gate. They then went away but threatened him as they left.

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The men reportedly lived behind Abedins home,The News reported. They were known to go from house to house in the name of the Tableeghi Jamaat,a proselytising group,and urge people to give up their sinful ways.