Fawad Chaudhry reportedly slaps anchor Mubasher Lucman over Hareem Shah spat

KARACHI/LAHORE: The federal minister for science and technology, Fawad Chaudhry, on Sunday allegedly slapped TV anchor Mubasher Lucman during a spat over Tik Tok star Hareem Shah, Geo News reported.

Geo News' bureau chief for Lahore, Raees Ansari, said the event took place at the valima — reception — ceremony of Punjab Irrigation Minister Mohsin Laghari's son. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) leaders, Jahangir Tareen and Ishaq Khakwani, were also present at the event.

Ansari revealed that Tareen and Chaudhry were talking about the allegations that Lucman had levelled on him during a TV show, salaciously linking the federal minister to Hareem Shah.

It was at that moment that Lucman arrived at the event, triggering a war of words between him and Chaudhry over the issue. The federal minister reportedly protested at the claims thrown at him during Lucman's show. It was then that Chaudhry slapped and shoved the TV anchor. The altercation stopped when people intervened and broke up the fight.

Soon after, both Chaudhry and Lucman left the event.

Chaudhry tacitly admitted to the act, slamming the TV anchor on Twitter, saying: "People like Mubashir Lucman have nothing to do with journalism … they are [sexual slur] who have barged into journalism.

"It is everyone’s duty to expose [such people]," he tweeted.

It is noteworthy that Chaudhry had also slapped another TV anchor, Sami Ibrahim, in June last year, and had used slurs against him in a subsequent statement.

His outburst had come over Ibrahim’s allegation that some from within the PTI — of which Chaudhry is a part — were conspiring against Prime Minster Imran Khan’s government and the Pakistan Army.