Pakistan Television (PTV) is being criticised on social media for falsely reporting that Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son Junaid Safdar was named in the Pandora Papers.
ARY News reported the same, but it is important to note that the state-run PTV which according to Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has been ‘revived’ and ‘depoliticised’ also ran this fake news about an opposition leader’s son. The report claimed that Pandora Papers have named Junaid Safdar. PML-N has announced legal action against the channels for airing this fake information about former PM Nawaz Sharif’s grandson.
Meanwhile, PTI government representatives on social media are claiming that PTV never aired the news and the ticker from the channel in this regard doing the rounds on social media is photoshopped.
Punjab CM Usman Buzdar’s focal person on digital media Azhar Mashwani responded to a tweet about PTV’s blunder and claimed that PTV aired ‘no such news’, adding that a photoshopped ticker is being used to attack the state TV by those who are habitual of ‘fake news’.
However, he was corrected by journalists who shared a clip showing that PTV had indeed aired the news.
I’m sorry but you’re lying through your teeth. This clip shows PTV aired fake news. Pls stop lying and ask @Pk_FactChecker to tweet a fact-check pic.twitter.com/gzMSFfq0Zj
— Ailia Zehra (@AiliaZehra) October 4, 2021
Interestingly, Special Adviser to PM Shahbaz Gill had also tweeted the PTV ticker that Mashwani terms fake.
کیا ایسے ہو سکتا ہے کسی چوری وغیرہ کی تحقیق ہو اور مریم باجی پیچھے رہ جائیں ؟ کبھی بھی نہیں ! pic.twitter.com/DCqRp866Db
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) October 3, 2021
Other users adopted a stronger position and called on the information minister to take responsibility.
پی ٹی وی یہ خبر دے رہا ہے اگر یہ خبر جھوٹی ہے تو پی ٹی وی کے ڈائریکٹر نیوز کو فارغ کرنا چاہئے اور فواد چوہدری سے اس فیک نیوز پر استعفیٰ لینا چاہئے https://t.co/5HrSbpFHwP
— Shanila Ammar Sikandar (@ShanilaSikandar) October 3, 2021
Earlier, Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter, announcing that legal action would be taken against news outlets spreading fake news about her son.
If ARY does not apologise immediately on this fake news, I will take them to the court. Sue them. pic.twitter.com/XZJmDggZjN
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 3, 2021
Members of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘inner circle’ including three sitting ministers and senior leaders of the ruling PTI have been named in the Pandora Papers, a global investigation conducted by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), exposing financial secrets of the powerful. The report was released on Sunday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to hold an investigation into the wealth of all Pakistanis named in the papers.
