Let us build Pakistan (LUBP): Yellow journalism in Pakistan

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Sunday 4 October 2009

Yellow journalism in Pakistan

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7 comments:

Aamir said...: The so-called Leftist Ahfaz ur Rehman should show "Mirror" to the owners of his own News Group i.e. Expressnews TV wherein he is Editor Magazine:

MIRROR TO EXPRESS NEWS GROUP:

11 – Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
The Lakhanis are currently having a hard time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this prestigious group and the chain of McDonald’s restaurants in Pakistan. NAB has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons. Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the present era has proved a painful exception.; 4 October 2009 at 13:18
Aamir said...: Lakhani brothers in NAB hands

http://www.karachipage.com/news/May_00/051000.html

KARACHI: While the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) made an official confirmation to the Lakhani family in Karachi about the arrest of Sultan Ali Lakhani on a wide range of criminal charges Tuesday evening, official word was still awaited until Tuesday night about the whereabouts of Sultan’s younger brother, Amin Lakhani.
Leading businessman Amin Lakhani also runs the Karachi operation of the fast food chain, McDonald’s. Beside running the McDonald’s franchise in Karachi, the Lakhani brothers run Lakson Tobacco Company, a textile unit, an internet company called the Cybernet and Century Publications.
Sources informed the News Intelligence Unit (NIU) that the Lakhnis are now being questioned on alleged charges that include: questionable loans worth hundreds of crores of rupees for setting up granite and marble processing plants; bank default; evasion of excise duty; concealment of foreign property; links with the smuggling of 11 containers case; causing huge revenue losses to PTCL through illegal termination of long distance calls and financial dealings with Mr. Hakim Ali Zardari.; 4 October 2009 at 13:18
Aamir said...: Legal notice to Sultan Lakhani for publishing concocted stories Wednesday, October 11, 2006 News Desk

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=3585

In view of all these points, we believe that the false, baseless and mala fide reports about Geo are motivated solely by vendetta. The group’s associated newspapers, Jang and The News, have in the past printed stories about the dark deeds of the publisher of The Express which have never been contradicted. Among the news printed were items about the large bank loan defaults, arrest by NAB, fleeing the country, the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee etc. Lakhani was arrested by NAB in connection with certain cases. Among the allegations on which stories were published were the case of taking and defaulting on huge loans for a granite and marble processing plant, tax and excise fraud, hiding foreign properties, the smuggling of 11 containers, causing huge losses to PTCL, etc. There were also reports that Lakhani set up fictitious companies and borrowed huge amounts from banks in this connection. The News, in! April 2004 published a story stating that he agreed to pay 1.5 billio n rupees worth of loans but only paid 200 million.
In July 2006, The News published a story about the PAC proceedings regarding Lakhani’s loan default. It was clear from all these reports that the Lakhanis were spreading their business through public funds and were not paying back loans taken from the banks and other financial institutions, which caused a huge loss to the national exchequer.; 4 October 2009 at 13:18
Aamir said...: NAB in tight corner as businessmen refuse to pay dues y Kamran Khan
http://www.fact.com.pk/archives/may/feng/nab.htm

Two important business families of the provincial metropolis who had earlier agreed to pay about Rs1.8 billion to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and various banks – an offer that won them an immunity against allegations of financial impropriety and release of their key directors from prisons – have reneged on their promises.
The defiant businessmen, senior NAB officials concede, currently constitute the single most important challenge to their drive against white-collar crime in the country.
Senior NAB officials have confirmed that Sultanally Lakhani and his three brothers, who partly run and operate the Lackson Group of Companies, and the Mcdonald’s food restaurants in Pakistan, after two initial payments of Rs100 million each, have stopped further payments for an agreed amount of Rs1.5 billion. The NAB had alleged that the Lakhani brothers created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and financial instituti! on.; 4 October 2009 at 13:19
Aamir said...: Transparency in Pakistan’s Media, Benazir and the US December 26, 2008 By Yousuf Nazar

http://www.yousufnazar.com/

For example, PILDAT has received support from the USAID and International Republican Institute (IRI). USAID is a US government agency. IRI’s Board includes John McCain and former US Ambassador to Iraq L. Paul Bremer.
People associated with PILDAT do have a conflict of interest when they are discussing the US policies. Should not this be disclosed and highlighted to the viewers?

The big brother still stares down. We do not need to glorify the Khakis as some TV channels seem to be doing. The top generals have followed and continue to follow Washington’s line. It is wrong to view them separately from the historic and current realities. Remember they said something about drone attacks…. mumbling something about sovereignty? Did those words carry any value?

The jingoism is bad and destructive. The main issue is many people are scared or shy of talking about the role of our military leadership; and the role in the context of its close relationship with the Pentagon and the CIA. The connection is too old, too deep and too murky to be denied or ignored.; 4 October 2009 at 13:20
Aamir said...: Would Mr Ahfaz ur Rehman like to answer as to what the known toadies of Military Establishment and Jamat-e-Islami doing in Expressnews e.g. Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami, Abbas Ather, and Abdul Qadir Hasan as well?????

Unethical Behavior of Express News TV Pakistan.

http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/09/unethical-behavior-of-express-news-tv.html; 4 October 2009 at 13:22
Rational and Humane said...: The only so-called whatever are people who are making stupid asinine comments on others. Mr. Ahfaz-ur-Rahman is a well-respected journalist who has always struggled for the freedom of the press, while at the same time maintaining his integrity and setting high journalistic standards. During the Zia era he was blacklisted and none of the big media groups in the country wanted to hire him. Later on, in his struggle for the implementation of the "Wage Board Award" he paid a heavy price as he was let go by the largest media group of the country, due to his unequivocal criticism of the owners.

A newspaper like any other establishment hires all kinds of people belonging to different ideologies and with different past affiliations. To expect an employee, who has no say over these matters, to ensure that only the "right" kind of people are hired is the height of stupidity.

Lastly, I want to reiterate it takes a particularly stupid, in fact arrogantly stupid person to make the kind of remarks that Aamir has made.; 28 February 2010 at 16:04

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