Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has taken exception to sarcastic remarks by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial against Express Tribune’s Economic Correspondent Shahbaz Rana, claiming that he is a master at framing narratives. While it may have been said in a lighthearted manner, it creates an impression of doubt and lack of credibility about a journalist, which can set a problematic precedent.
On June 11, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb addressed a press conference in Islamabad ahead of the federal budget alongside other federal ministers and the FBR chairman.
During the briefing, responding to a question, Langrial was heard saying: “Shahbaz [Rana] is as much a master at framing as he is a good journalist.”
Langrial went on to say that he had asked Claude, an AI assistant, that in Pakistan, without being inaccurate, who does the best framing. He said that the AI tool had responded by naming Rana, adding that the tool had also provided him with two examples of this, which the FBR chief went on to share.
Speaking to PPF, Rana said that he had asked a question about a revenue shortfall and what was lacking in the government strategy. He shared that the response received was subjective, and unsubstantiated allegations were levelled against him.
Rana said that he respected the right of the FBR chairman to respond, but the government may want to inquire from its officer about publicly hurling baseless allegations and why he had tried to malign the journalist.
In a news program of Hum News, Minister of State and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Heritage and Culture, Huzaifa Rehman, apologised to Rana over the incident on behalf of the government.
