Pakistan seeks explanation from BBC over 'fabricated' story

The British publication had reported an ‘unpleasant’ meeting between Gen Bajwa and ex-PM Imran Khan before his ouster

Pakistan on Wednesday sought an explanation from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) authorities regarding a recent report about an “unpleasant” meeting between the former prime minister Imran Khan and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa.

According to the news outlet, the meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office hours before Imran’s ouster through a successful no-trust vote at the Parliament.

Today, the BBC headquarters confirmed receiving of the communiqué by its director-general and it has reportedly begun reviewing the matter.

On April 10, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had termed "fake" the report by the BBC Urdu which claimed that Imran had removed Gen Bajwa as the army chief and was not expecting his visit to the PM’s Office along with an “extraordinary security routine”.

Also read: ISPR terms BBC report about Gen Bajwa's late night visit to PM Office 'fake'

In its response, the military's media wing had said, “BBC Urdu story published today is totally baseless and a pack of lies. The typical propaganda story lacks any credible, authentic and relevant source and violates basic journalistic ethos."

It had further said, “There is no truth in the fake story whatsoever and clearly seems part of an organised disinformation campaign. The matter is being taken up with BBC authorities.”

As per sources, BBC has been propagating a “pack of lies” not only with regard to Pakistan but internationally as well. “In the past, there are so many incidents when BBC’s so-called ethical journalism proved to be fake, fabricated and without ethos of journalism,” they added.