PML-N MPA Hina Parvez Butt alleged on Wednesday that senior foreign journalist Mehdi Hasan took money to publish an interview of PTI founder Imran Khan. However, the MPA misunderstood the meaning of a “paid” article, which Hasan clarified meant that the piece was only for his paid subscription users.
The interview was conducted through a letter Hasan sent with questions for Imran, and the journalist was not allowed to ask follow-up questions.
In the interview published on Wednesday on Hasan’s independent news platform Zeteo, Imran Khan, currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail, criticized Pakistan’s political and military leaders, with a particular focus on his former ally-turned-foe, former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
In April 2022, Pakistan witnessed the ouster of a prime minister through a no-confidence vote for the first time in its history. The efforts for the PTI founder’s removal were led by the then-opposition.
The PTI accused the then-rulers of colluding with the US to topple Imran’s government, blaming the military, led by Gen Bajwa at the time, for allowing the alleged conspiracy. However, the US denied any interference.
Reacting to the interview, PML-N lawmaker Butt shared a post on her X account, insinuating that Mehdi Hasan took money to publish it since she circled the word “paid” in the article. However, she did not specify who allegedly took the money.
The post garnered one million views and was fact-checked due to its virality and the misunderstanding of the term “paid” in the interview.
Investigating the article, Hasan clarified that it was an “exclusive interview” for Zeteo, available behind a paywall for paid subscribers. He responded to Butt’s post, calling her conspiracy theory ignorant and clarifying the meaning of “paid” in the context.
In conclusion, the fact check found Butt’s claim regarding Imran’s alleged “paid” interview false. The article was behind a paywall for subscribers, not due to any transaction between Imran and Zeteo.
