Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday took notice of the altercation between journalist Sami Ibrahim and Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, the Prime Minister House said.
Last week, Ibrahim had reportedly filed a complaint at Mansoorabad Police Station in Faisalabad, accusing Fawad of slapping him at a wedding. A copy of the complaint, that was circulating on the social media and was retweeted by Ibrahim, alleged that Fawad had slapped and cursed the journalist without any provocation. It also accused the minister of threatening Ibrahim.
Subsequently, Fawad had issued a response, saying that the “incident” should not be treated as a “clash between two institutions but as a conflict between two individuals”.
The statement added that Fawad had “reacted after another person tried to wound his self-esteem”. “To term a patriotic Pakistani and government office holder as an agent of [enemy agencies] is contrary to moral and journalistic ethics,” the statement said. Fawad told a private news channel that Ibrahim had “misbehaved” by previously calling him an “Indian spy”. “That incident shouldn’t have happened but it did, unfortunately,” he said.
According to the PM’s Office, the prime minister took notice of the matter and spoke to the journalist over a telephone call. “The leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf does not support any personal action [by its members] that hurts another person’s sentiments and self-respect,” the press release quoted the prime minister as saying.
“Government and the media are two essential parts of the democratic process,” said the premier in the statement, adding that difference of opinions should not turn into personal conflicts.
