Journalists stage 'pakora protest' outside Pak Parliament

Disgruntled journalists of Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area chose a unique way to protest against their termination from their respective news organisations, by setting up a stall to sell 'pakoras' (deep-dried snack) outside the Pakistan Parliament.

Mubarak Zeb Khan, a journalist with Pakistan's daily, The Dawn, posted pictures of the protest on Facebook and also shared a video of the same. Interestingly, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto was also clicked during the agitation.

In the video, which is being widely circulated on social media, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Afzal Butt was heard saying, "Yesterday, what had happened in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, in reaction to this, we decided that all the unemployed journalists will set up a pakora stall outside the Parliament House."

"The stall will be here today and tomorrow. My dear friends, you can all come here to the Parliament House. This is being done so that a solution can be reached concerning the lay-offs and terminations by the Pakistani media houses," he added.

The journalists then prepared the pakoras as a symbolic gesture to press the authorities to pay heed to their economic plight.

They are slated to hold a protest outside the Pakistan Supreme Court in the coming days.