Lahore ‘airport official’ arrested for taking 'bribe' from Australian journalist

Soon after Dennis Freedman’s video goes viral, PM Imran directs CAA authorities to take the action

A Lahore airport official accused of taking bribe from an Australian journalist has been taken into custody after the intervention of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Following the incident, the premier had directed officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to look into the matter and get the responsible official arrested.

According to CAA personnel, they have suspended the entry pass issued to the suspect who apparently works for a private company operating within the airport’s CIP Lounge.

Dennis Freedman, the newsman, after departure from the country where he had been covering the Pakistan Super league (PSL) and touring cities, uploaded a short video clip from Melbourne in which he shared his experience with the apparent airport official at the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Describing the incident as “bad side of Pakistan”, Freedman said that every country has bad side.

According to the Australian journalist, an official in civvies helped him jump the immigration line saving him from the long queue and later asked for the money.

‘I was going through the immigration, there was a long queue, a guy in plainclothes, apparently an official, walked up to me and offered me to take me to the quick lane,’  he can be heard as saying in the video clip.

Freedman termed the interaction as ‘the gora card’ kicking in, the privilege sometimes enjoyed by foreigners in Pakistan.

He went on to explain that “it was a long line so I took advantage of it… it merely two seconds, my passport was stamped. Then he walks me through the airport lounge carrying my bags, sits me down and then asked me for the money, I told him I don’t have any money left so he asked for the US dollars but I was only left with 350 Pakistani rupees which was given to him upon his insistence.”

In the later part of the video, the journalist also stated: “I don’t want this guy sacked. I don’t want him to get in trouble, What I do want is some education. I made a mistake but the best way to deal with this would have been if I had held my ground and said no.”

https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1237271003916423168

Responding to a tweet who termed the bribe as tip, Freedman replied: “It was no tip he was asking for mate.”

https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1237722714971897862

He also replied to another twitterati, saying:

https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1237836198560727040

Addressing his fans in Pakistan, he said: “Please stop apologising or feeling embarrassed by this guy’s behaviour, it wasn’t.”