Pakistan lawmaker Jugnu Mohsin attacked by unidentified gunmen, escapes unhurt

Jugnu Mohsin, a wife of noted Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the Punjab province, barely survived an assassination attempt in Okara, after unidentified individuals opened fire on her vehicle, Pakistan media reported on Monday.

According to reports, Mohsin was receiving death threats on social media. Some people had been warning her not to hold a rally in Punjab's Jujh Kalan and threatened her that they would attack her if she would go ahead with her planned public meeting.

Despite the threats, Mohsin went on to conduct the rally, after which unidentified gunmen intercepted the convoy and opened fire. They also hurled stones and attacked them with clubs, reported Pakistan media.

In the attack, one car was damaged. Later, the accused fled after their pistol jammed. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against six people in connection with the incident.

Citing sources, Pakistan media reported that the main accused of the attempt on Mohsin's life is still on the run, while two of his accomplices have been arrested by the police in a late-night operation.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the incident and called for immediate action against the perpetrators.

"HRCP strongly condemns the attack on journalist and writer Jugnu Mohsin. We are relieved that she is safe. The perpetrators must be brought to book immediately," the commission said in a tweet.

Mohsin's husband is Najam Sethi, a famous journalist, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and interim Chief Minister of the Punjab province.

Earlier, Mohsin had submitted a resolution in the Punjab assembly, condemning attacks on journalists and rights activists in the country and drawing the attention of the state towards growing incidents of muzzling dissent.

"What is happening to journalists and rights activists here is nothing new. We have fought long and hard for whatever little freedom we enjoy," she said in the Assembly. Mohsin also talked about the recent attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor and the ban on Hamid Mir's show.

Addressing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) treasury benches, she said: "Tomorrow you may be in opposition and you too will need a free press then. You must stand for freedom of expression today to guard your own rights, which you may have to exercise tomorrow."

This came after an Islamabad-based journalist Asad Ali Toor, known for criticism of the country's establishment, was attacked in Islamabad last month. The attackers broke into his house and attacked him brutally.Prior to that, an unidentified assailant shot and wounded Absar Alam, a television journalist and a prominent critic of the government, outside his house in Islamabad.

Hamid Mir, the host of the flagship news program "Capital Talk", was taken off the air for three days after he spoke against the rising curbs on freedom of expression in the country and about the safety of his colleagues, following the recent attack on Toor.

Freedom of the press has long been a problem in Pakistan but the situation has deteriorated markedly under Imran Khan, who has dismissed allegations of attacks on the Pakistani press as a "joke".

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has ranked Pakistan the fifth most dangerous place for the practice of journalism, with 138 media persons there having lost their lives in the line of duty between 1990 and 2020.

In 2021 alone, 3 journalists have been murdered and one, Absar Alam, injured in an attempted assassination. Media professionals across the country were targeted with impunity by terrorists, political actors, and security agencies.

( With inputs from ANI )

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