Senior journalist looted at gun point in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Two armed men on a motorcycle robbed senior journalist Kamran Yousaf at gunpoint in Iqbal Town on Friday as he was heading to his office in Islamabad.

Yousaf, who works for The Express Tribune, told HUM News English that the robbers snatched about Rs7,000 from him at gunpoint and fled into a nearby street. He said one of the robbers was wearing a helmet while the other was holding a pistol.

The senior journalist, who covers the Foreign Office for ET and co-hosts a show on Express News, said the incident happened around 12:40 pm in a crowded area, but no one came to his aid. He said that he has not filed a report of the incident yet, though a police officer contacted him and has assured him of tracing the culprits.

In a tweet, Yousaf said Islamabad had become as unsafe as Karachi, the country’s largest city, where mobile phone snatching is rampant.

In the tweet, he said: “Just as I was approaching the office, two armed motorcyclists robbed me at gunpoint near Iqbal Town and fled after taking money from me. Thank God I am safe, and using my presence of mind, I tossed my mobile phone under the car seat.”

اسلام آباد کراچی بن نہیں رہا کراچی بن چکا ہے ابھی دفتر آتے ہوئے اقبال ٹاؤن کے پاس 2 موٹر سائیکل سوار ڈاکوؤں نے گن پوائنٹ پر مجھ سے رقم چھین کر فرار ہو گئے

اللہ کا شکر ہے میں محفوظ رہا

— Kamran Yousaf (@Kamran_Yousaf) August 18, 2023

In another tweet directed at detractors and trollers, Kamran Yousaf said: “If the thieves who took the money have benefited from it, then it’s fine. My regret is for those individuals who are making statements in response to this incident. Why was I not shot? They ask. It’s perhaps dirty money, stolen from the prohibited. Those who looted me, they may never find guidance. But perhaps, for some, their condition is beyond remedy.”

چور جو رقم لے گئے اگر ان کا بھلا ہوتا ہے تو ٹھیک ہے مجھے افسوس ان لوگوں پر ہے جو اس واقعہ کے ردعمل میں کہہ رہے ہیں مجھے گولی کیوں نہیں مار دی گئی، کچھ کہتے ہیں حرام کا پیسہ ہے شاید جنہوں نے مجھے لوٹا ان کو کیا پتہ پھر ہدایت ہو جائے لیکن شاید کچھ لوگوں کا مرض ناقابل علاج ہے https://t.co/8XfyJU4vhY

— Kamran Yousaf (@Kamran_Yousaf) August 18, 2023

Street crimes such as robbery, theft, burglary and auto theft have increased in Islamabad in recent years, according to official statistics.

More than 800 cases of different street crimes were reported in June alone, meaning that the city witnessed an average of over 26 street crimes every day that month.

In 2022, Islamabad saw its worst year ever for crimes, with more than 3,400 incidents of theft, robbery, street crime and other crimes reported, compared to 850 in 2021.

In the same year, more than 6,500 incidents of robbery, street crime, theft, car theft and motorcycle theft were reported in Islamabad.