Former Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has criticized state-owned broadcaster PTV for allegedly providing media coverage to Maryam Nawaz’s Swabi rally.
Currently, preparations are underway for PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s public rally in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, leading journalist Abbas Shabbir revealed that PTV is providing media coverage of Maryam Nawaz’s rally.
Abbas Shabbir tweeted a video from the venue for Maryam Nawaz’s public gathering. The video shows cameras set up for media coverage.
Read more: PM Shehbaz Sharif defends Maryam Nawaz
“The entire team of PTV is present in Swabi for the coverage of Maryam Nawaz’s meeting. If Shehbaz Sharif had given a speech, it would have made sense. Does Maryam Nawaz have any government post? The cabinet is in London!” the journalist tweeted. This is an interesting point as Maryam Nawaz is not a government official.
Similarly, Fawad Chaudhry too retweeted the video and questioned PTV for spending resources to cover Maryam Nawaz’s speech, especially when she has corruption charges against her.
“Misinformation will take PTV into deficit in a few months. Will the Islamabad High Court, where her case is pending, notice why state TV is spending so much to deliver speeches of a convicted criminal?” Fawad Chaudhry tweeted. To clarify, the former Information Minister referred to Maryam Nawaz’s conviction in the Avenfield reference.
Read more: Convicts in Avenfield reference to be arrested upon arrival: NAB
مس انفارمیشن PTV کو چند ماہ میں خسارے میں لے جائیگی، کیا اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ جہاں ان محترمہ کا کیس زیر سماعت ہے نوٹس کے گی کہ سرکاری TV ایک سزایافتہ مجرم کی تقریریں سنانے کیلئے اتنا خرچہ کیوں کر رہا ہے؟ #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور https://t.co/FMqqldhLxs
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 11, 2022
PTI vs. PML-N
As PML-N’s rival PTI holds consecutive rallies against the PML-N-led government, PML-N too is countering PTI with rallies of its own.
While PML-N bigwigs like Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Miftah Ismail etc. are busy with government duties, Maryam Nawaz has been tasked to take charge of the PML-N rallies.
She recently held a public rally at Fateh Jang. However, the PML-N leader failed to pull in a huge crowd. The party in government and Punjab was not able to even fill a small ground designated for the public rally. In fact, nearly seven thousand people were at the rally when Maryam Nawaz arrived at the ground. In contrast, PTI has witnessed huge crowds at all its jalsas.
Read more: Photoshopped images of PML-N jalsa being shared?