Pakistan's rambunctious electronic media was on Friday embroiled in a fresh controversy after the emergence of videos that showed two top TV anchors discussing questions and coaching Malik Riaz Hussain, a real estate tycoon, on answers during an interview.
The two videos of behind the scenes footage, posted on YouTube and other social media sites, showed anchors Mubashir Lucman and Meher Bukhari discussing questions and rehearsing answers during the interview with Malik Riaz Hussain, a tycoon who has acknowledged paying Rs 342.5 million to the Chief Justice’s son to influence cases in the Supreme Court.
The footage appeared to have been shot during advertisement breaks in a two-hour interview of Hussain that was aired live by Dunya TV channel late on Wednesday night.
At one point, Lucman is shown purportedly receiving a phone call from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s son Abdul Qadeer, who also speaks to the tycoon.
The footage shows Bukhari saying she has received a message on her mobile phone from PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam, who purportedly wants the tycoon to say during the interview that her family had turned down his offer of providing a bulletproof vehicle. It is unclear who leaked the two videos totalling nearly 30 minutes.
While discussing questions with the tycoon, Bukhari is heard saying: ‘Say what you want... what question should we ask. It will appear as though it is planted... it is, but it shouldn’t appear it is.’
The videos give the impression that the entire interview with Hussain, who is known to be close to political parties and the security establishment, was scripted.
Both anchors are seen receiving instructions against interrupting the tycoon during the interview.
The two videos of behind the scenes footage, posted on YouTube and other social media sites, showed anchors Mubashir Lucman and Meher Bukhari discussing questions and rehearsing answers during the interview with Malik Riaz Hussain, a tycoon who has acknowledged paying Rs 342.5 million to the Chief Justice’s son to influence cases in the Supreme Court.
The footage appeared to have been shot during advertisement breaks in a two-hour interview of Hussain that was aired live by Dunya TV channel late on Wednesday night.
At one point, Lucman is shown purportedly receiving a phone call from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s son Abdul Qadeer, who also speaks to the tycoon.
The footage shows Bukhari saying she has received a message on her mobile phone from PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam, who purportedly wants the tycoon to say during the interview that her family had turned down his offer of providing a bulletproof vehicle. It is unclear who leaked the two videos totalling nearly 30 minutes.
While discussing questions with the tycoon, Bukhari is heard saying: ‘Say what you want... what question should we ask. It will appear as though it is planted... it is, but it shouldn’t appear it is.’
The videos give the impression that the entire interview with Hussain, who is known to be close to political parties and the security establishment, was scripted.
Both anchors are seen receiving instructions against interrupting the tycoon during the interview.