Nawaz loses cool with Business Plus team

ISLAMABAD: The Business Plus management on Friday alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif's media manager Pervaiz Rasheed seized tapes and intimidated their staff after Nawaz lost his temper in an interview. "We were held hostage after the interview when Pervaiz Rasheed, realised that Nawaz had used unbecoming language against President Pervez Musharraf, the Chaudhry brothers and Mushahid Hussain while answering one of my questions," said Rana Mubashir, the Business Plus Director News, at a press conference here. Mubashir said that all through the interview at Nawaz's Raiwind house, Nawaz used harsh language and lost his temper over routine questions. "Pervaiz Rasheed put his hand on my shoulder and said, "˜Ok pack up; this interview can't be aired because you people have put tough questions and Nawaz has spoken harshly in answering your questions," Mubashir quoted Rasheed as saying. Mubashir said the first question that annoyed Nawaz pertained to a deal he did when signing the exile document for 10 years. "Nawaz got angry when I asked him why he first denied the existence of any exile deal with the government before his homecoming and later admitted that it was for only five years?" Mubashir said the second question was about the allegation of pursuing confrontation politics, which he answered in bad taste. The third question pertained to his strategic road map for steering the country out of the turbulent situation. The PML-N leader's reply was that President Musharraf's resignation was the only solution to set the house in order. When Mubashir pressed him to delineate his road map, Nawaz didn't come up with any answer to the point. "When I asked why the Chaudhry brothers and Mushahid Hussain had left him after 11 years, Nawaz blew his top and asked his media manager to seize the tapes and not let us go until we surrendered the tapes," Mubashir told the reporters. Mubashir said they were left with no option but to surrender the tapes and ask whether they might conduct a fresh interview with mild questions as required. But Nawaz did not accept his request to hand him back the tapes. "My team and I were like hostages and I condemn it," Mubashir said, adding that they had reported the incident to Raiwind police for registration of a case but they didn't know whether their request would be accepted. Business Plus Bureau Chief Saba Jamal, Rana Mubashir and Jasmeen Manzoor have appealed to the government to take notice of the incident and ensure the press freedom. The channel management also reminded the media that Nawaz had also tried to repress the media during his tenure as prime minister. They also thanked local journalists and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Rawalpindi Press Club President Mushtaq Minhas for condemning the incident.