Pak journo who wrote on minorities hit by car days after his house vandalised

The accident occurred days after his house was vandalised, with graffiti threatening him to stop writing about the Ahmadi community.

 A Pakistani journalist who wrote extensively on the plight of the country’s religious minorities was hit by a car in Lahore.

Tanveer says that his work on exposing the poor treatment meted out to the country’s religious minorities has made him a target.(Reuters File)

Rana Tanveer, chief reporter of The Express Tribune, was hit by an unidentified vehicle on Friday, with the accident occurring days after his house was vandalised and he was warned of dire consequences for writing about the Ahmadi community in Pakistan.

Tanveer underwent surgery for a fracture in his pelvic bone on Saturday. His recovery may take months and he has expressed fears for his safety as well as that of his family.

Last week, when he and his family returned to their home in Lahore, they found their house vandalised, with graffiti threatening him. He had moved to his current home one and a half years ago so that his daughter could attend a local school. Three months ago, his landlord began receiving calls from an unknown number advising him to evict Tanveer.

After the vandalism, Rana went to the police to report the threat but his complaint was not formally registered. On Friday, coming back from a meeting of the Punjab Union of Journalists where the attack on his home had been condemned by all present, Rana Tanveer was riding his motorcycle when a car came and hit him from the back.

Tanveer says that his work on exposing the poor treatment meted out to the country’s religious minorities like the Ahmadis and the Christians has made him a target of extremists. Talking to the media on Sunday, he said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said some months back that the rights of religious minorities would be secured under his administration in a speech to members of the Hindu community.

Rana Tanveer says that his case is a perfect opportunity for the prime minister to demonstrate his government’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of both journalists and religious minorities by taking immediate action.