“Islamic extremists trash Pakistani TV offices after Peres interview,” from AFP, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
KARACHI (AFP) – Islamic extremists ransacked the offices of a private Pakistani television channel the day after it broadcast an interview with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, police said.
A Geo television official said the incident appeared to be a reaction to an interview in which Peres called on Pakistan to establish diplomatic contacts with Tel Aviv.
“We don’t yet know the reasons behind the attack, but we suspect it could be a reaction to Mr Peres’ interview,” Geo TV chief Imran Aslam told AFP on Saturday.
Police said around 40 men armed with sticks, some of them carrying pistols, barged into the building which also houses the mass circulation daily Jang and the English-language newspaper The News.
During the attack, which occured around 2:20 am local time (2120 GMT), the men smashed window panes, broke the furniture and torched newspapers’ files, witnesses said….
Islamist parties in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan have frequently warned the government against establishing any contacts with the Jewish state.