PFUJ expresses regret after Maryam Nawaz admits managing ads

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed regret over Maryam Nawaz’s admission regarding her leaked audio where she could be heard managing advertisements to news channels, ARY NEWS reported.

In a joint statement from PFUJ’s President Shahzada Zulfiqar, General Secretary Nasir Zaidi and Vice President Asad Pathan, the journalist body expressed regret over Maryam Nawaz’s remarks regarding barring advertisements to out-of-favor news channels.

“Attempts were made during the PML-N tenure to weaken the independence of media,” the handout issued from the PFUJ said and added that they strongly oppose any such move.

It said that journalists would not accept any move to hinder the advertisements to any news outlet as the move is tantamount to weakening the media economically.

The PFUJ said that the political parties and the governments should not take such measures and should learn from their past mistakes.

“The governments and political parties should not pressurize the media to peddle their narratives,” the journalists’ body said adding that highlighting mistakes on media helps both of them in rectifying their errors.

Daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz has admitted that the leaked audio of her instructing media team not to give advertisement to few channels is real.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Maryam Nawaz said: “Audio attributed to her is real and she will not say that it is edited.”

Referring to the alleged leaked audio of former CJP Justice retired Saqib Nisar, Maryam said that as soon as the audio came out, propaganda regarding the clip began to prove that the clip was doctored despite the fact that a very renowned American company did the forensic analysis of the clip.