Journalist 'heckles' minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi over media freedom
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 12 July 2019
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During a press conference in London, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi faced heckling from journalist Ezra Levant over media censorship in Pakistan. Levant claimed his Twitter account was suspended due to government complaints.Summary
LONDON — Amidst reports of growing press censorship in Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was heckled by a Canadian journalist here alleging that his social media account got suspended over complaints from the government, according to media reports.
Qureshi was attending a press conference on 'Defend Media Freedom' here on Thursday when the incident took place.
Journalist Ezra Levant of the Rebel Media, a Canadian far-right political website, interrupted and verbally assaulted the minister alleging that his Twitter account was suspended over complaints from the Pakistan government, Dawn newspaper reported.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. Twitter didn't delete my whole account. But they deleted a tweet they said violated Pakistani law. Twitter said that to me in an email. I'm in Canada. Twitter is in America. But Pakistan censored us, he tweeted.
In a video clip of the incident shared by Pakistan journalist Munizae Jahangir on Twitter, Levant said the organizers should be embarrassed to invite a censorious thug to talk about free speech.
Levant also accused the minister of adopting double standards on free speech, the report said.
Responding to the allegations, Qureshi said, first of all, you want your sentiments to be respected. Just look at the tone to the panel you have adopted. Is that the correct way? You have a right to ask questions.
You have double standards what you call freedom; at times you are projecting certain agendas, the minister said. - Agencies
“Shame on youâ€: @EzraLevant challenges #Pakistan's Foreign Minister over Twitter censorship!WATCH the FULL video here: https://t.co/hHqJklTVoS#tcot#newspic.twitter.com/9wUBSiq8dd
— The Rebel (@RebelNewsOnline) July 11, 2019
Key Points
- Ezra Levant interrupted Qureshi at a media freedom event.
- Levant alleged his Twitter account was suspended due to Pakistani government complaints.
- Qureshi defended his position, accusing Levant of having double standards on free speech.
- The incident highlights ongoing concerns about press censorship in Pakistan.
- Levant criticized the organizers for inviting Qureshi to discuss free speech.
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