Wrong reports would have landed Jang Group in the dock

ISLAMABAD: The Jang Group and Geo spokesperson has clarified that whatever Imran Khan has said about the media group is against the facts and a violation of the law of the land and the Constitution. 

He said whatever he said was not only an allegation but a slur. He said “We can understand Imran Khan’s political apprehensions and restlessness, caused by the news stories printed and telecast by the group.

“From the beginning of his politics, he has ever wished to run the media according to his will. He wants the headlines finalised with his consent, and the mass media to follow his instructions. 

“And if any media house wants to perform its duties independently, and goes against his wishes, he does not hesitate to level even the cheapest allegations against it.” 

The spokesperson said that he did the same thing against the Jang Group in the past also. He announced the boycott of publications of Jang/The News and broadcasts of Geo Network, and then heaped innumerable allegations on the group. He managed attacks on journalists belonging to the group, damaged its vehicles and offices, hurled threats on the media persons and incited his party workers against the group. 

He said that the Jang Group and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman were severely criticised in general public meetings. The campaign continued for many days; Imran Khan engaged his Tehreek-e-Insaf party in the process, and then one day he himself ended the boycott of the group. 

It is also worth mentioning here that Imran Khan had also levelled heinous allegations against the Jang/Geo Group, its journalists and Najam Sethi after the 2013 general elections. Imran incessantly targeted the Jang/Geo Group on this count, but when he moved the court on rigging charges, he did not repeat his allegations against the group in his petition. 

However, no political party, leader, saner elements of the opinion-making sections or intellectuals ever supported this attitude of Imran Khan and his party.

It may be pointed out that the past governments and their opposition parties also meted out discriminatory treatment to the Jang/Geo Group. But no such example could be presented in the history of the country when that worst kind of treatment was meted out to the media and journalists.  “We fully realise how much importance the Jang Group and Geo have in the eyes of Imran Khan.” 

The spokesperson said the group was proud of its journalistic team, which had made it so much respectable among masses with their honesty and hard work. One of the complaints of Imran Khan is about credibility and genuineness of the news stories. However, added the spokesperson, had these news stories been wrong, those respectable journalists sitting in the competitive media houses would have declared them untrue and wrong; the Supreme Court, which is hearing the historical case being probed by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), must have summoned journalists of the Jang Group and reprimanded them. 

The spokesperson suggested Imran Khan to direct his legal advisors and lawyers to move the SC against Jang Group/Geo. They must take the Jang/Geo journalists to the apex court and get them punished whose stories are wrong and against facts. 

Besides, he may also go to other media-related bodies including the complaint centre of the Press Council, APNS, CPNE, PBA, PFUJ, and Pemra. “We would take part in the proceedings of these bodies if Khan Sahib moves any of them,” promised the spokesperson. 

The spokesperson announced that the organisation and its journalists would initiate legal proceedings against the allegations, levelled by Imran Khan against the group. It would be a landmark case in the judicial history of Pakistan, he added. 

The spokesperson regretted that Imran Khan wanted to make the Jang Group and its employees controversial through his irresponsible statements; he wanted to damage their repute and exert undue pressure on them. Through his statements and public speeches, he wanted to create doubts about the policies and stories of the group. But, he added, with the grace of God, people have never accepted such assertions of Imran Khan. Despite these allegations, Jang Group and Geo Network are still the biggest publishing and broadcasting house of the country, with the grace of Allah Almighty. He also thanked the readers of the media newspapers and viewers of Geo Network. 

The spokesperson reminded that no department or the JIT, about whom news stories were published or broadcast, ever raised any objections on such stories. Had these stories been against facts, these departments would have taken notice of it, they would have summoned the journalists concerned, but no such thing has happened so far, he added.