Case Update Status

PTI deleted the tweets of Good and Bad Journalists

Summary of Case

On December 4, 2021 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a ruling party of Pakistan, tweeted two lists of good and bad journalist and deleted them soon after. In two tweets, PTI Lahore named journalists who promote the narrative of the corrupt and praising some other journalists for “fighting for the war of truth & justice.”

Though the two tweets have been deleted, one of its screenshots shows Hamid Mir, Asma Shirazi, Naseem Zehra, Najam Sethi, Talat Hussain, and Mansoor Ali as promoting the narrative of the corrupt. The second list includes Imran Riaz Khan, Maleeha Hashmy, Sabir Shakir, Kashif Abbasi, Ghulam Hussain, Sami Ibrahim, Moeed Pirzada, Abdul Qadir, and Shiffa Yousafzai.

Pakistan federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and many journalists of Pakistan expressed anger over tweets.

Ishaq Khan Khaqwani, a former federal minister and a PTI leader, said if there are allegations against journalists, they should provide answers. “Journalists are part of this society which they routinely term corrupt. For them, everybody from SHO to a trader to government officers, everybody is corrupt. Now when somebody is calling you corrupt, clarify your position.” Khaqwani said many journalists had made vast sums of money since the 1990s. “In the 1990s these journalists had nothing, and now they are rich. Why should I not ask where they got this money.”

Asma Shirazi, who is on the list promoting the corrupt narrative, termed it a badge of honor for her. “If you think criticizing the government makes a bad journalist, what greater badge of honour can be for a journalist.”

Commenting on the two lists, veteran journalist Muhammad Ziauddin said that a journalist is good if he or she reports in the government’s favor but becomes bad in case of negative news. However, he added this had been the attitude of every government in Pakistan. “The role of media is that of a watchdog, and therefore, the relations with those in power always remain fraught.” Talking to DW Urdu, Ziauddin recalled that the PMLN government had also issued such a list. “It included my name. At that time, I was editor of The News. On top of the list was Nusrat Javeed.” He added that low-level employees in the information ministry and the intelligence agencies prepared such lists. The current one, he said, also includes journalists who have been questioning the establishment’s role in politics.

Category of Incident

Harrasment

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: 0208 - Acts intended to induce fear or emotional distress

ICCS Group: 02081 - Harassment

ICCS Class: N/A

ICCS Crime: Acts intended to induce fear or emotional distress

Reported By

Journalism Pakistan

Date of incident

4

Month

Dec

Year

2020

Name of affected person

Asma Sherazi

Other affected persons

Naseem Zehri, Hamid Mir, Najam Sethi, Talat Hussain, Manoor Ali

Name of affected organization

Not applicable

Other affected organizations

Not applicable

Action by

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

City

Nationwide

Province

Nationwide

Designation

Anchor

Professional category

Journalist

Age of victim

Asma Sherazi, about 54 years Hamid Mir, about 55 years Najam Sethi, about 73 years Talat Hussain, about 56 years Mansoor Ali, about 43 Years. Source: Wikipedia

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date compensation paid by others: No compensation announced

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: No

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: N/A

Court where case was presented: N/A

Name of prosecuting lawyer: N/A

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: N/A

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressed concerns and condemn the incident

APNS

CPNE

PBA

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

N/A

Employer organization

N/A

Press Club Status

Press club 1: N/A

Press club 2:

Press club 3: