KARACHI: The APNS has welcomed the suo moto action taken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the matter of corruption, extortion and fake degree scam conducted by Axact and hoped that the action by the apex court will be conclusive and will help in weeding out the black sheep and criminals from the media industry in particular and the Pakistani society in general.
According to a press release, the APNS President, Sarmad Ali, in a statement on Thursday noted that shameful and nefarious activity of the Axact not only lowered the repute of the country but also affected the credibility of Pakistani academia all over the world.
But the runners of the scam remained scot free for obvious reasons though they were found guilty and sentenced in foreign countries. However it is appraisable that the Chief Justice of Pakistan had taken much needed suo moto action which would be highly appreciated by the media in Pakistan.
The APNS is of the considered opinion that black money and criminal elements have no place in the ranks of media and should not be allowed to perpetuate their shameful and criminal practices in the garb of media. The APNS is confident that the action by the Supreme Court would result in nipping the criminals in the bud.
Pakistan Broadcasters Association also welcomed the suo moto action taken by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court in the Axact fake degree and extortion scam.
According to a press release the PBA in a statement said Axact scam and its continuance represents the most shameful phenomenon in the history of our country, embarrassing Pakistan all over the world and causing embarrassment for our state institutions as being perceived as weak and collusive.
The PBA appealed to the Chief Justice and the Prime Minster of Pakistan in this regard multiple times. If the scandal had remained to the extent of Axact and fake degrees, then PBA’s members would still have been rightly concerned, but Axact has used its criminal money to launch its media channels BOL and Pak News.
Considering media is the fourth pillar of the state and is tasked with safeguarding public interest, no criminal elements can be allowed to enter the media industry with their black money, the PBA statement said.
It added that Axact and BOL have been consistently abusing the legal system and exploiting the investigative process using their black money to keep their criminal empire running. The deliberate attempt by FIA to hide or omit critical facts from the Supreme Court in the report submitted in the suo moto case is just one example of how the cases and investigations against Axact and BOL have been compromised.
PBA therefore pleads with the Honourable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to ensure that they monitor all cases and investigations pertaining to Axact and BOL so the cases against them can be concluded in a fair and timely manner.
The PBA has also filed an application today in the Supreme Court to become a party to these suo moto proceedings through its Sr. Advocate Supreme Court Asma Jehangir and Advocate Supreme Court Jam Asif Mehmood from Ahmed & Qazi.
PBA reiterates that it is important to make an example out of Axact and BOL so no other criminal syndicate can attempt to infiltrate our institutions and pillars with nefarious intentions in the future.
