PTI accuses ARY of misreporting UN Working Group's stance on Imran

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year |  JP Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD—The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has accused ARY News of broadcasting false news about a UN Working Group's report that deemed the arrest of the party's founder, Imran Khan, illegal and called for his immediate release and compensation.

In a Facebook post, PTI shared screenshots from ARY News which purportedly showed posts by Dr. Mathew Gillett, head of the UN Working Group. These alleged posts, reported by ARY News, seemed to support the view of the federal government in Islamabad.

Since 2022, Dr. Gillett has served as an expert from the Western Europe and Others Group in the Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and is currently the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group.

PTI leader Syed Zulfi Bukhari stated that ARY News was airing fake news, adding that the account quoted by ARY News is fake and has no connection to the UN. He expressed regret over fake Twitter accounts and criticized the media for giving airtime to "pimps & bookies."

On Monday, the Geneva-based UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion stating that the appropriate remedy would be to release Khan immediately and provide him with enforceable rights to compensation and other reparations, under international law.

Reacting to the report, Federal Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar referred to Imran Khan's arrest and pending cases as an "internal matter of Pakistan." He emphasized that Khan, as a convicted prisoner, has all the rights afforded by the Constitution of Pakistan, its laws, and international norms.