Pakistan

Govt news agency claims BBC is probing 'stale' Park Lane flats report

APP sources say BBC management has accused reporter of playing into the hands of PTI

APP January 19, 2017

Sharif family Park Lane flats. PHOTO: BBC

ISLAMABAD: BBC has started investigating the reporter who filed a recent news story on the ownership of Park Lane flats, sources in the British broadcaster have told APP.

According to the sources, BBC management has accused reporter Ather Kazmi of playing into the hands of a Pakistani political party and presenting old information as new.

Sharif family's Park Lane flats purchased in 1990s, BBC report reveals

“BBC has been put into a very embarrassing situation,” the BBC source told APP. “The article carries nothing new. Our reporter misled the duty editor who thought the article was carrying new information. Now if we take it down, it will result into a bigger scandal and will make headlines,” the source added.

“We have been told by credible sources that the reporter involved in the writing of this report was passed on a file which is part of the Supreme Court papers. Contents of these papers have been in the public domain for a long time,” the source further said.

SC cannot directly disqualify PM in Panamagate case: counsel

According to the source, Kazmi deleted dozens of pro-PTI tweets once an investigation against him was called. “But these tweets were saved and have been made part of the investigation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2017.

COMMENTS (17)

Rizwan Nasar | 7 years ago | Reply Retweeted BBC Urdu (@BBCUrdu): There is no internal investigation into this BBC reporter (Ather Kazmi) nor this news story (When were Park Lane flats purchased, or sold?).

whatever | 7 years ago | Reply BBC refutes claims about internal investigation enough said

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curious2 | 7 years ago | Reply Kudos to the BBC - new media should stay clear of partisan politics.

Waqar | 7 years ago | Reply Whether it is an old report or a new one, it matters little as the documents referred to in the BBC report, i.e the Companies House record, show that the flats were purchased in 1993, and that there has been no transfer in ownership. These documents cannot be disproven since they are linked with HMRC in the UK and can be verified easily.

zaheer ul Hassan | 7 years ago | Reply In journalism the news is only a news and if it is not published or broadcast in one newspaper or a channel the other would break this news. In case of BBC story though there is nothing new in the story but the the people in Pakistan want to know more credible information about these flats and think that BBC's reports are more authentic and its not a new phenomena in our country as in 1977 during the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) anti Bhutto movement BBC news was most popular among the masses. Amazingly when BBC is a media house why they only used APP to clarify its position and admit its embrassing situation, on the other hand APP is a government run institution like PTV and everybody knows how these institutions are or were being used by the present or previous governments. In my opinion it is a fabricated story against the BBC and secondly if there is any truth in the story as mentioned by APP the BBC should come forward to clarify their stance, what action they have taken against their reporter or Desk-Incharge,

Saqib | 7 years ago | Reply @OSD: My Friend, you must really wake up to the reality that your PM cannot provide any tranactionsal records to show a money trail. Why do you support a man who has evidently cheated and hidden wealth from taxation and even worse; has made it from illegal means. Tribune should not even report this before BBC itself verifies it. Have some standards please.

imran ali | 7 years ago | Reply when BBC give report against every body believed but when it is against govt.,other political parties or against agencies nobody ready to believed and the reports are call state...what a hipoccracy hypocrisy

Muzaffar | 7 years ago | Reply a source.... stopped reading after this

Pakistani | 7 years ago | Reply @OSD: All the more reason NS&Co. should ask for damages from the news company if the information is incorrect!

zam | 7 years ago | Reply No matter how much educated you are , patwaris cannot change. Open your eyes , this article did not say report contents were wrong, report contents were old and already known, already in public that is the point.

Ghareeb_Pakistani | 7 years ago | Reply "BBC has started investigating the reporter who filed a recent news story on the ownership of Park Lane flats", even BBC have no idea of this investigation!

salman | 7 years ago | Reply @OSD: Interestingly, none of the content of the report is refuted, so how exactly is anyone being misled?

Zeeshan Khan | 7 years ago | Reply @Razia @OSD Your beloved PM can give SC the required money trail and slap Imran Khan on the face in front of whole Pakistan. But why isn't he doing it? Be educated ask yourself this Question. Its open and shut case. Court is asking for trail. PM should give it and expose Imran Khan. So before accusing Imran Khan ask your PM to come clean. Burden of Proof lies on the owners of Flats and not on Imran Khan.

Israr | 7 years ago | Reply Everyone in journalism knows that value of a piece of information is enhanced by its currency and relevance. Everyone is talking about Panama Leaks these days so nothing wrong with compiling existing info into one piece and present it for public consumption. Those who had problems with it renounced it as stale and those that this piece favoured highlighted it. No one said the report was incorrect or misleading. Most of the stuff discussed about Panama Leaks had been discussed in the 90's so should the courts say they wouldn't hear it now? To say the reporter was pro-PTI is completely irrelevant. Everyone is pro-something in their personal capacity.

Razia | 7 years ago | Reply It looks like a PTI spin stunt. Imran Khan and his secret service in action. The man knows no limits as his motivation is driven by hatred and greed for power.

iRonMan! | 7 years ago | Reply according to a source ..lol. Nothing official. Sad how "source" makes headlines these days.

OSD | 7 years ago | Reply This is actually a very good example of how the PTI is using resources to mislead the Pakistani people. I hope this scandal is fully covered by the media and the truth about the PTI is exposed!

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