ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday slapped a journalist when he reportedly slapped a journalist here at the Parliament House over question asked about the loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The incident took place after Dar, the most powerful member of the federal cabinet, was leaving the National Assembly after making a speech. Shahid Qureshi, an economic reporter working for a private TV channel, approached the minister with his questions who was leaving along with his security guards.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the reporter can be seen asking Dar if he would be willing to talk. The minister responded by stating that he had just finished speaking in the National Assembly.
Qureshi then inquired about the progress of the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent meeting with the IMF chief. However, Dar remained silent in response to these questions.
The journalist persisted and questioned the government’s failure to secure the IMF deal, to which Dar retorted, “Because people like you are in the system.” The journalist defended himself, asserting that reporters were not part of the system but merely asked questions. At this point, Dar became visibly angry and confronted the journalist, asking him what he wanted and telling him to “fear God”.
A visibly agitated Dar then attempted to snatch the journalist’s mobile phone. He even instructed security personnel to seize and throw away the mobile phone.
The finance minister’s security personnel then intervened and escorted Dar towards a vehicle in the parking lot.
The journalist later released another video in which he provided a detailed account of the incident, claiming that Dar’s security guards had grabbed and slapped him.
In response to the altercation, the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) issued a condemnation statement, expressing its strong disapproval of the violence and disrespectful behaviour exhibited by Dar’s guards.
The PRA demanded an apology from the finance minister to the reporter and emphasised that such aggressive behaviour should not be repeated in the future. They further stated that if Dar fails to apologise, the PRA reserves the right to walk out of the budget session and stage a protest. The association also called on National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to take notice of the incident.
Dar’s frustration appears to stem from the government’s exhaustive efforts to secure the bailout package, as the IMF has yet to revive the expiring programme, scheduled to conclude by the end of this month.
Pakistan has barely enough currency reserves to cover one month’s imports. It had hoped to have $1.1 billion of the funds released in November – but the IMF has insisted on a number of conditions before it makes any more disbursements.
