ISLAMABAD: Three unidentified men beat up vlogger and journalist Asad Ali Toor outside his residence in Islamabad late on Tuesday night, reports said.
Islamabad police said the masked suspects arrived outside his residence located in an apartment building. A scuffle broke out between Toor and the suspects who thrashed him before fleeing the scene.
Toor was later shifted to the hospital where his condition is reported to be stable.
The police are investigating the incident.
In a tweet, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz expressed concern. “OMG! This is shocking! May Allah protect him. I hope he is out of danger.”
OMG! This is shocking! May Allah protect him. I hope he is out of danger. https://t.co/al8K7XVCht
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) May 25, 2021
In September last year, Toor was charged with spreading “negative propaganda” against the state and its institutions through social media under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
In November, the Lahore High Court cleared him of charges, declaring there was not enough evidence to support the charges.
Passed in 2016, PECA has been criticised by civil society as a draconian tool used to muzzle free speech. The act criminalises speech, along with speech that criticises state institutions.
