KARACHI: A senior Pakistani journalist on Saturday dismissed as “baseless” charges filed against him in connection with a story on corruption in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), after being put on trial in an Islamabad court that has alarmed the media community.
Shahbaz Rana, who works with the English-language broadsheet The Express Tribune, faces a complaint filed by an FBR official who claimed his story was defamatory and scandalous. The article in question said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sacked 25 FBR officers, all in higher pay grades, based on reports by three intelligence agencies questioning their financial integrity and professional competence.
The complainant also nominated Sharif and other officials.
Speaking to Arab News, Rana said he was reporting on the issue on the basis of authentic official documents.
“This case against me is baseless,” he said over the phone. “First, my report regarding the 25 officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was based not only on authentic documents and was true, but was also publicly acknowledged by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself, who referred to it twice in his speeches.”
