Riaz denies paying journalists

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LAHORE, June 16: Zahid Bokhari, the counsel for property tycoon Malik Riaz, said on Saturday his client had not given money, plots or air tickets to any media person.

Talking to reporters at the Lahore registry of Supreme Court, he read out a statement of Mr Riaz denying allegations of distributing money among journalists and circulating on social media a list containing the names of alleged beneficiaries.

When asked about allegations levelled by his client against the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Bokhari said he had no concern with the utterances of Malik Riaz as he was his counsel for court proceedings only.

The statement read out by him further said: “The allegations are anonymous which prove that their aim is to defame the journalists in particular and the media in general.”

It said these were the dirty tricks of a political party which was out to defame the media and other political parties.

“The allegations are printed on a Bahria Town letterhead which could have been stolen from any of the hundreds of its offices across the country. This is a false document,” it added.

Mr Bokhari said the apex court had not given a clean-chit to anyone which showed that there was some material that needed to be investigated.

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