Ishaq Dar loses his temper and confronts journalist

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 22 June 2023

Ishaq Dar faced backlash after losing his temper with a journalist during a National Assembly session. The incident raised concerns about media treatment in Pakistan.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Finance Minister Ishaq Dar lost his cool and misbehaved with a journalist in the National Assembly when he asked about the status of talks with the IMF.

In his tweet, journalist Shahid Qureshi said the minister became angry when asked about the talks with IMF. He said the minister asked his security people to snatch “my mobile and teach me a lesson. I barely escaped from them.”

Some journalists on Twitter claimed the minister slapped the journalist, while others maintained Ishaq Dar tried to snatch his mobile phone.

Journalist Khawar Ghamman said he had just heard about the incident. He wondered what would become of Pakistan.

Abbas Shabbir, another journalist on the other hand, questioned the role of journalists’ associations.

The video of the journalist asking the minister about the outcome of talks with the IMF went viral. It shows the minister turning back in anger and lunging at the reporter. It is not clear if he slapped the reporter or tried to snatch his mobile.