Ofcom decides in Geo’s favour in case brought by Ishaq Dar

LONDON: Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has rejected former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s complaint against Naya Pakistan show aired on the Geo News on June 22, 2019.

The programme included a discussion about a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which the Geo News said was agreed between Pakistan and the UK government, under which Pakistan was requesting the extradition of Ishaq Dar.

During the programme, the presenter Shahzad Iqbal and Shahzad Akbar, the show’s guest and PM Imran Khan’s adviser, discussed Dar’s extradition and the extradition process. The footage showed extracts said to be from the MoU several times in the programme. Dar complained that he was treated unjustly and unfairly in the programme and that the inclusion of extracts said to be from the MoU in the programme was an unwarranted infringement of his privacy. He complained to Ofcom that he was treated unjustly or unfairly in the programme broadcast because Shahzad Akbar made derogatory remarks about him. The former finance minister said that he was not given an opportunity to present his version of the facts against “the government’s politically motivated agenda and defamatory publicity”.

The Geo News explained in detail to the Ofcom that it had taken full care and the show was balanced and neutral. The Geo News told Ofcom that it didn’t infringe on the privacy of Dar and didn’t treat him unfairly in the show. Ishaq Dar told Ofcom that Geo News “ran a whole show of character assassination and fabrications, making seriously false and mala fide allegations against me”.

In its findings, the Ofcom said that it had considered that material facts were not presented, disregarded or omitted in a way that resulted in unfairness to Ishaq Dar in the programme as broadcast. It said that comments made on Geo News show were contextualised and did not result in unfairness to Dar. The media regulator decided: “Ofcom has not upheld Ishaq Dar’s complaint of unjust or unfair treatment and of unwarranted infringement of privacy in the programme as broadcast.”