Peshawar Press Club (PPC) and Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) have strongly denounced the baseless accusations leveled by Mashal Yousafzai, Adviser on Social Welfare to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, against Geo News reporter Nadia Saboohi. During a joint meeting at the PPC, top media figures criticized Yousafzai’s attempt to tarnish the government’s rapport with journalists through her unfounded claims. They called upon Yousafzai to retract her statements, delete the contentious tweet, and issue an apology. In response to her actions, PPC and KhUJ have decided to boycott her from media coverage and barred her entry to the press club.
It emerged that Nadia Saboohi’s report shed light on a summary proposing the acquisition of new cars for the secretary and social welfare adviser. Seeking clarification, Saboohi approached Yousafzai for comment, who acknowledged the summary but mentioned it hadn’t reached the Chief Minister’s desk yet. Despite including Yousafzai’s response in her report, the adviser accused Saboohi of soliciting bribes and initiating a social media campaign against her.
Furthermore, Yousafzai implicated her party colleague Moazzam Butt in the controversy, alleging his involvement. However, Butt refuted the allegations and urged Chief Minister Gandapur to investigate the matter involving Yousafzai.
