Journalists Khawar Ghumman and Matiullah Jan in bitter tweeting match

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 3 January 2019

Journalists Khawar Ghumman and Matiullah Jan clashed on Twitter, reflecting the growing political divisions among the media. The exchange centers on accusations against two lawmakers and the nature of journalistic integrity.

Summary

ISLAMABAD - As journalists have aligned themselves politically, their tweeting fights are increasingly becoming bitter and personal.

On Thursday, Khawar Ghumman of Dunya News TV and Matiullah Jan who previously worked for Waqt News (defunct) went after each other over Twitter.

The feud started with a tweet by Ghumman, who seems to have a soft corner for the ruling PTI. He said that two MNAs, Shahbaz Sharif and Saad Rafique, facing corruption charges will be attending the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on law and justice. He added: “Both are attending NA committee on law and justice. Long live democracy.”

Matiullah responded harshly. “Innocent until proven guilty is the basic principle of justice that you and me and others have learnt during our foreign scholarships /charity.”

Then in Urdu, he asked Ghumman to differentiate between the accused and the convict and between being a journalist and a spokesman for the government.

Can you pls quote even one precedent, either from developing or developed world where accused from jail are allowed permission to attend sessions of their respective legislatures. اخلاقیات Ú©Û' بارÛ' میں تو اپ Ù†Û' ضرور سنا ہو گا https://t.co/kC7hYrw5Dm

— Khawar Ghumman (@Ghummans) January 3, 2019

However, Ghumman asked: “Can you pls quote even one precedent, either from developing or developed world where accused from jail are allowed permission to attend sessions of their respective legislatures.”

In Urdu, Ghumman hit out at Mati, saying hopefully he must have heard about ethics.

KEY POINTS:

• Khawar Ghumman criticized two MNAs facing corruption charges.
• Matiullah Jan defended the principle of justice amid the controversy.
• The dispute highlights the political alignment of journalists in Pakistan.
• Both journalists exchanged personal jabs over ethics and professionalism.
• The incident showcases the role of social media in political discourse.