Two people were injured earlier today when four men stepped off their motorcycles and sprayed the Express News office in Karachi with gunfire.
More than 30 rounds were fired at the building. A guard and a female member of staff were taken to hospital. Their condition is not known as I write.
Express News is an Urdu language TV news channel that was launched in 2008. It is owned by the Lakson Group.
Express Tribune writer Maheen Sabeeh commented hours after the shooting incident on the failure of the media community to condemn the attack. She wrote: "Nobody bothered to cover this news. Geo, ARY, Capital TV, Aaj News, Dawn News, Dunya, TV One News, CNBC Pakistan – no one cared enough to even run a ticker on this tragic event."
And Akmal Hussain, an economics professor and social activist, wrote:
"It is a matter of grave concern that such a dastardly attack has been made against the Express News, which is in the vanguard of the struggle against bigotry, barbarism and violence to sustain democracy, rationality and humanity in Pakistan."
He called on Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif to defend the media and democracy. Early news reports said Sharif had demanded an immediate report on the attack.
