Aitzaz again fumbles, attacks media, does not answer questions | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Aitzaz again fumbles, attacks media, does not answer questions

Usman Manzoor

ISLAMABAD: The prime minister’s counsel Ch Aitzaz Ahsan has again blamed ‘certain section of the media’ for propagating against him but admitted that the same ‘section of the media’ was his favourite during the historic movement for the restoration of judiciary.

In his press talk outside the Supreme Court building Aitzaz again alleged that a section of the media is continuously and deliberately misrepresenting his arguments and exaggerating the facts.

When asked by the journalists to name this section Aitzaz first said that he will not name anyone but later added that everyone knows who they are. “This is the same section of media which is publishing stories on front pages that Aitzaz has become speechless,” he elaborated.

When asked to specifically mention the ‘exaggeration’ he replied: “I will not mention it.” Asked again what was wrongly reported about him or his arguments, Aitzaz again did not reply.In his more than 20-minute press talk Aitzaz repeatedly referred to ‘certain section of media’ and the journalists become curious to know whom he was referring to.

A journalist asked Aitzaz whether this section of media was the same, which was his favourite during the movement for the restoration of judiciary, Aitzaz replied, “Yes” and instantly added: “But, I don’t know what has happened to them now.”

Aitzaz was asked how this section was good at that time but now he criticises it daily, he replied, “I don’t know.” He was again asked if criticising him means this section has compromised on the principles, Aitzaz replied: “I don’t know but at the time of the movement for the restoration of judiciary, I stood for the principles and even today I stand for the principles.”

He was asked whether supporting NRO was his principle now. Aitzaz did not reply to this question too and said that he was against corruption and has no objection to media’s role in highlighting corruption “but my point of view is being misrepresented to malign me”.

Aitzaz again started delivering a speech on the immunity available to President Zardari and said that because of this immunity, the letter could not be written. “See the other countries fight even for their ordinary soldiers and we are talking of putting our president at the mercy of a foreign magistrate. This is very unfair,” Aitzaz argued before the media persons.

On this, Aitzaz was asked repeatedly by journalists that all the accused persons involved in the Swiss money laundering case and other cases do not have immunity so how only because of one person’s immunity the prime minister should refuse to write letter.

Aitzaz, despite insistence of the journalists, did not reply and left when everyone started asking the same question. It is pertinent to mention here that Aitzaz had become speechless in the Courtroom No 4 on Wednesday when Justice Asif Saeed Khosa asked this question and the same was reported by the media. But Aitzaz made that story the basis of his attack on ‘certain section of media’ instead of answering the question.

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