On Thursday (May 11), a Pakistani ‘journalist’ named Munizae Jahangir courted controversy after she claimed that news agency ANI interviewed Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto on the sidelines of the SCO summit but did not air it due to pressure from the Indian authorities.
ANI Editor-in-Chief Smita Prakash snubbed Jahangir and informed her that her news agency had never conducted such an interview.
“A complete lie. Bilawal Bhutto gave no interview to @ANI. Did this anchor Munizae Jahangir ask her foreign ministry if their FM give ANI an interview before saying this on air? This disinformation is even being spread by an Indian diplo beat Editor,” she tweeted.
Instead of rectifying her mistake, the Pakistani journalist claimed that she stood by her story and asked the ANI’s chief to ‘check her facts.’ Munizae Jahangir wrote, “I stand by my story, you check your facts.”
Interestingly, since Smita Prakash is the editor-in-chief of ANI, one has to wonder who she would “check her facts” with. Jahangir’s insinuation that Prakash, the EIC of ANI, would not know whether they interviewed Bhutto or not is an appropriate reflection of the collective IQ of Pakistan, one can assume.
The Background of the Controversy
During her TV programme titled ‘Spotlight’ on Monday (May 8), the Pakistani scribe accused ANI of being an ‘Indian government-owned agency’ and not airing the interview with the Pakistani Foreign Minister.
“When Bilawal Bhutto was staying at the Taj Hotel in Goa, government-owned media agency ANI conducted an interview with him and asked the Pakistani Foreign Minister about the condition of religious minorities in the country,” Munizae Jahangir claimed.
“In response, Bilawal Bhutto said that the Indian government should worry about the condition of minorities in the State of Gujarat. The interview was seen by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which then suppressed the matter,” she brazened it out.
Her falsehoods were debunked by ANI Editor-in-Chief Smita Prakash, who made it crystal clear that no such interview was conducted in the first place.
“Goes to show how pathetic her reporting is, she was in Goa and didn’t know who her own FM was speaking to in the Indian media. Got led by the nose by her long time friend and conspiracy theorist reporter who was also there,” tweeted Smita Prakash.
“The only this is that the Indian reporter planted the fake gossip, didn’t file the story. Munizae went on air with it without due diligence,” she further pointed out.
Goes to show how pathetic her reporting is, she was in Goa and didn’t know who her own FM was speaking to in the Indian media. Got led by the nose by her long time friend and conspiracy theorist reporter who was also there. The only this is that the Indian reporter planted the…
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) May 11, 2023
On being told by Munizae Jahangir that the ANI chief must ‘check her facts’ i.e. whether her own company conducted an interview with the Pakistani Foreign Minister, she lambasted her for lack of diligence and basic verification.
You obviously have no access to your own foreign minister's officials that you could not even verify this basic information of who all your minister met in the Indian media. My colleagues – reporters & camerapersons were in Goa, you didn't even ask them! https://t.co/EpGc845SsO
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) May 11, 2023
“You obviously have no access to your own foreign minister’s officials that you could not even verify this basic information of who all your ministers met in the Indian media. My colleagues – reporters & camerapersons were in Goa, you didn’t even ask them!” Smita Prakash lambasted the Pakistani ‘journalist’.
