Protesters block Dawn News office in Islamabad: reports

Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Dawn News office in Islamabad on Monday, according to journalists in the capital.

“They are unknown protesters,” Inamullah Khattak, a reporter with Dawn News, told SAMAA Digital. “[They are] demanding the closure of Dawn.”

In a video posted on Twitter, around two dozen protesters could be seen outside the office.

The video showed an elderly man speaking to the protesters. He accused the media group of doing “propaganda” against the country and Islam.

The protesters have pasted banners outside the office, calling Dawn News an “enemy” of the country and demanding its closure.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that it has received alarming reports that access to Dawn’s office in Islamabad is being blocked by protesters shouting “pro-army slogans”.

The HRCP expressed concerns about the security of Dawn News workers and urged the government to take immediate action.

Dawn News has been under fire for the past few days after the newspaper reported that Usman Khan, the London knife attacker, was a British national of Pakistani origins.

Federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari also criticized Dawn. Chaudhry termed the story a “cheap attempt to link a British terrorist to Pakistan.

“Dawn has its own agenda,” Mazari said in a tweet. Usman Khan was born in the UK, she added.

It is, however, not clear if the protest outside Dawn’s office was linked to its reportage of the London attack.