The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has come out in support of renowned columnist and economist Kaiser Bengali, condemning the “malicious campaign” against him.
In a statement issued on Monday, PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi were quoted as having said that Bengali had offered a “reasonable”, factually backed commentary on the country’s economic conditions but was met with a “torrent of criticism” with people conducting his “character assassination” as well. The statement said that the government was using “fascist tactics” to quieten its critics.
The PFUJ leaders also deemed it fit that the government acted against Finance Ministry Spokesperson Muzammil Aslam and other Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers who took part in the “malicious campaign”.
PFUJ’s show of support came after Bengali drew ire for his comments on a local TV show. Appearing as a guest on journalist Kamran Yousaf’s show, Bengali was asked to comment on the burgeoning debt Pakistan was accruing. Bengali said that there was no threshold as per which the downfall would begin as the country was already experiencing undeclared bankruptcy. He added that he thought that a time could come now when it would be asked of Pakistan to give up its nuclear assets.
Following Bengali’s appearance on the show, Aslam was seen responding to his comments on social media. He said that he had been observing Bengali for over two decades and, according to him, his judgement was never correct. Aslam labelled Bengali as “born pessimist and anti-state” who came to the fore when Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took provincial power. He added that Bengali wasn’t even an expert in monetary and fiscal policy.
A few hours after Aslam’s comment appeared on social media, Bengali, without addressing any one in particular, talked about the fury over his comment about the threat of giving up nuclear assets being very real. Bengali said that certain “patriots” were angered by his words so he would clarify with a historical reference. He said that former president-general Pervaiz Musharraf had made a “u-turn” and ceased to support the Taliban with the idea that ‘Pakistan came first’. He questioned whether the same logic of “Pakistan First” would be used again when it came to the country’s nuclear program when it faced pressurizing conditions for loans again.
