ISLAMABAD: Renowned journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir has revealed that former prime minister Imran Khan himself got off air his interview with former president Asif Ali Zardari on “Geo” by asking a big important influential personality and through pressurizing. Asif Ali Zardari in a short answer had unfolded secrets about Arif Naqvi of the Abraaj Group. Hamid Mir said that Asif Ali Zardari had only spoken two or three sentences about Arif Naqvi but Imran Khan was so sensitive on this matter that he got off air whole interview.
Hamid Mir revealed this during in an interview with a private TV channel. Hamid Mir said when in 2019, Arif Naqvi was arrested from Heathrow Airport, London, then that news didn’t spread; however, there were contacts numbers of both President Dr. Arif Alvi and Imran Khan in his iPhone’s contact number list.
“Afterwards I took interview of Asif Ali Zardari as per routine where he again and again used to say that Imran Khan was going. When he second or third time repeated that Imran Khan is going then I asked him that you are once and again saying that Imran Khan is going as you yourself are facing NAB cases and are on production orders, how are you claiming this,” Hamid Mir added.
To this he said, “You don’t know Arif Naqvi has been arrested in British. He will tell everything about this Imran Khan. He is the parrot who is soul of Imran Khan.” He said, “I conducted this interview on Friday and a news went on air from this interview and its promo kept continue running for a few days. We didn’t use Arif Naqvi’s portion in any promo. On Monday this interview had to be on aired. The remaining news got on air but no one objected that why did you conducted this interview.”
Hamid Mir said that producers are accustomed to do marketing of everything. It was his mistake that he didn’t rectify his producer. The producer said today this interview has to go on air and added that he was going to take out new story from it. He got released Arif Naqvi’s portion of interview in the news, Hamid Mir added.
Hamid Mir said as soon as this news went on air, phone calls started to come that what was else in the interview. He said, “I told them that it was a routine interview where Asif AlIi Zardari has made big claims. I became doubtful that something went wrong. At that day Imran khan was giving interview at “ARY” at 8:00 PM while at “Geo”, Asif Zardari’s interview had to go on air at 8:00 PM. As long as interview began, suddenly it went off air at 8:06 or 8:07 PM from the screen and line cut. At this I was much surprised and started calling here and there and no one was understanding. I was helpless as I was not a decision-maker and just a working journalist and tweeted:”Sorry all the interview couldn’t be run.”
“I started crying on the issue of freedom of expression. Afterwards when I checked, it came into my knowledge that by asking an influential personality and through pressure my interview with former president Asif Ali Zardari was stopped. What was real issue it was revelations about Arif Naqvi,” Hamid Mir continued.