The Secretary General Columnist Association of Pakistan Muhammad Akram Khan Faridi called on the authorities in Kuwait to intervene over a violent attack by some members of the ruling family in Kuwait who have been accused of attacking Scope TV, a private television station at the weekend following a controversial broadcast that some family members considered insulting.

"This was a disgraceful show of intolerance that led to mob violence against media," Muhammad Akram Khan Faridi ,CAP Secretary General, . "Provoking violent confrontation is no way to deal with arguments over media content. It is undemocratic and a denial of the value of dialogue and mutual understanding in dealing with media."

The CAP says that its ongoing efforts with its affiliate in the region to set up self- regulation and accountability structures for media should ensure that no one feels the need to take the law in their own hand.
 

According to media reports, a group of members of the Al-Malek branch of the Al-Sabah ruling family stormed the offices of Scope TV on Sunday following statements made during a live programme broadcast on Saturday accusing members of the Al-Malek branch of attempting to overthrow the government in Kuwait 50 years ago.

Officials from the channel are quoted by local media as saying that about 250 members of the Al-Malek branch were involved in the attack in which shots were fired and office furniture and equipment damaged. Following the attack, the Kuwaiti prosecution authorities have summoned the attackers for questioning, reports say.

The CAP is urging the authorities to follow their action through to holding attackers to account. "The authorities' must act without undue influence from any group," added Faridi. "The respect for journalists' rights and application of the law apply to all, regardless of status and family connections."

Image Courtesy of DayLife - A cameraman working for private television station 'Scope TV' films the ongoing police investigations after the station was stormed by a crowd in Kuwait, October 17, 2010. A crowd angry about a programme they deemed insulting to some members of Kuwait's ruling family stormed a Kuwaiti private television station on Sunday, ransacking its offices, station officials said. - Reuters Pictures

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