Reporter rebuts Imran Khan on 'Qatari letter' story

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the leader of one of the main political parties, gave his strong reaction to The News story headlined “Imran submits ‘Qatari’ letter to SC” filed by me entirely on the basis of facts.

Besides others things, his effort to give a clear impression that I had filed this story in line with the directives of Jang Group Editor-in-Chief  Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was really a matter of grave concern for me in my personal capacity.

The allegation of doing stories on the directives of other persons, even the head of media organisation, always proves fatal for a professional journalist.

So when I heard the media talk of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, it really not only made me sad, but also made me realise that politics in our country had reached a point where there was perhaps no room for truth and ethics in our society.

I categorically say that neither had I talked to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, nor he made any contact with me through email or any other available options before filing of this story. So I have no hesitation to say that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had no role in filing this news story as perceived by the PTI chairman.

Imran Khan said there was no comparison between the letter written by the Qatari prince and that sent by Director of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket Austin Robertson. But, in fact, there are many similarities and his own statements can easily help identify them.

Firstly, when the Sharif family members submitted a letter by Qatari Prince Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani in favour of the money trail related to the London Mayfair flats, PTI chief Imran Khan said the letter by the Qatari prince was fraudulent and demanded that the prince who had been the prime minister of Qatar from April 3, 2007 to June 26, 2013 should be sent to jail.

At that time, the mainstream leaders of the PTI had been insisting that the Sharif family should prove the money trail on the basis of bank transactions and relevant documents. So the presentation of the letter by the Qatari prince by the Sharif family has become a punching bag for the PTI stalwarts who wasted no time to term it all rubbish.

When the counsel for Imran Khan submitted the money trail in a case pending with the Supreme Court seeking his disqualification for non-disclosure of assets, ownership of offshore companies and receipt of foreign funds for the party, he admitted on behalf of the PTI chairman “I do not have any record of the exact schedule of my employments” and submitted documents, also including a letter by the Director of World Series Cricket and contract letter of former cricketer Mushtaq Ahmad.

If it is what Imran Khan has been demanding from the Sharif family or whether he has been taking the high moral ground and demanding bank transactions and verified documents to prove the money trail of the London Mayfair flats. It is not clear yet whether Austin Robertson would come to Pakistan and record his statement with the Supreme Court to verify the letter produced by the counsel of Imran Khan in the apex court.

Imran Khan also pointed out that Austin Robertson was alive and one could contact him to get the relevant information. Similarly, Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is also alive and he is ready to record his statement for which he had written a number of letters to the Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

There was a time when Imran Khan stated through a tweet “Only reason ppl open offshore accts through Panama is to either hide wealth, esp ill-gotten wealth, or to evade tax or both”

But when my fellow reporter Ahmad Noorani broke the news about the offshore company of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said his party chief had formed a ‘legal’ offshore company through his earnings from cricket.

So one will not desire to indulge in a debate about ‘legal or illegal offshore’ companies or ‘halal or haram’ letters. While filing news stories, I always try my best not to let any prejudice or political views influence their content. Everyone has a right to criticize the news stories published or broadcast in the media but this right should be used in line with the best practices.

Imran Khan has a huge following, especially among the youngsters who expect him to always speak truth in any kind of situation.

Mumtaz Alvi adds: Calling out The News and Jang Group’s Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on the publication of “Imran submits ‘Qatari’ letter to SC”, Imran asked how could Austin Robert’s letter was equivalent to the Qatari letters.

Addressing a press conference outside his residence here, he noted that in his letter Robert explained that he had signed him in 1977.

“He didn’t only sign me; Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad and 50 other cricketers from all over the world were also signed. It was a standard annual contract of $25,000,” he pointed out.

“If you believe you are an investigative journalist, call Austin Robert, check his background, he shall have documents and you will realise that his letter is not Qatari letter that I heard this and heard that. He will have all the documents in his archives — not just mine, but of 50 other cricketers — proving that we had a standard contract,” Imran continued.

Imran said: “MSR your turn would also come. We shall find out how you owned two residences in Emirates and what was the money trail. And in London, the Rolls Royce you drive and own a house there also. How you afforded all this. You will have to tell that too.”

Imran said while the Qatari letter was such that could not tell from where the money was arranged and how was money taken out. “Those who support the corrupt, they are also accomplices. MSR is also an accomplice, who is using his newspaper to cover up corruption of a huge mafia,” he alleged.

Originally published in The News