Bahria Town administration has refuted allegations of paying journalists following the emergence of a purported ‘fake list’ on social media.
In a statement released on Saturday, Bahria Town labeled the circulating list, which implicates journalists being compensated by the company, as counterfeit. The housing society also pointed out that the letterhead used in the list was fabricated.
The announcement garnered traction on social media, with numerous users reposting it along with screenshots of the alleged list featuring the names of 19 journalists.
Bahria Town expressed its intent to take legal action against the individuals responsible for propagating such misinformation.
Responding to the purported fake list, journalist Asma Shirazi highlighted that false claims of journalists receiving money from Malik Riaz surface recurrently to tarnish their reputations.
Shirazi, along with Hamid Mir, Mazhar Abbas, and the late Arshad Sharif, contested the list in the Supreme Court, where Bahria Town confirmed its inauthenticity.
In a shared video clip, Mir accused Riaz of attempting to acquire lands in various cities through dubious means, noting Dawn newspaper’s singular criticism against the property tycoon for alleged land encroachment in Karachi.
Mir reiterated his longstanding criticism of Riaz, even when political parties and intelligence agencies purportedly supported him. He rebuffed claims of receiving benefits from Riaz, referring to the tycoon’s denial of offering him any favors.
In response to a user’s tweet sharing Riaz’s past denial of offering favors to Mir, the journalist emphasized his consistent opposition to Riaz, regardless of political affiliations or alleged attempts to discredit him during the 2024 elections.
Mir also shared an old clip addressing the Peshawar High Court Bar, where he asserted Riaz’s influential ties with major political parties and intelligence agencies, citing the declaration of the list of plot recipients from Bahria Town as fake by Riaz’s lawyer in the Supreme Court.
