Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has announced Wednesday an inquiry against PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz for allegedly controlling “public funds” for media advertisements. The development came after the PML-N leader confirmed the authenticity of another viral clip on social media during her press conference.
“Government will investigate all the journalists who were given plots or money by Maryam Nawaz for running their campaigns,” he said. “In her press conference, Maryam has confessed that she was controlling the media cell, Pervez Rasheed was just a puppet.”
The use of public funds, he said, is a criminal offense and a crime under the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) domain.
Earlier in the day, Maryam confirmed the authenticity of another viral audio clip in which she is heard instructing someone that advertisements to SAMAA, ARY and some other TV channels be stopped.
He said that she has given out Rs18 billion from the national fund to reward “blue-eyed journalists” and media channels at federal and Punjab levels in their last tenure.
The federal minister accused PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz of creating fake videos and audiotapes to pressurise the judiciary. “She might be even making videos to control her party leaders,” he added.
“I am hopeful that the judiciary won’t come under pressure like the army generals didn’t succumb to the PML-N’s malicious campaign [Mujhay kyun nikala],” he said.
The Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar said that Maryam Nawaz has admitted that her party was used “public money for targeting and buying media groups”.
He went on saying that Maryam Nawaz confessed two things in her press conference, she was running the media cell and the second that the viral audio is hers.
“The third thing she didn’t reveal that which media houses they [PML-N] had bought,” he questioned.
The energy minister announced that the government will go after these “privileged” media houses and journalists. Hammad accused PML-N of “preparing fake clips” in the past as well, saying that the “Maryam Nawaz group” must be behind the controversial audiotape.
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