Hats off to Mubasher Lucman for speaking bitter truth about Jang/Geo – by Farrukh Ahmed
Mubsaher Lucman is one of the most hated people on national media not because he says something wrong, but because his programs have been against the “norms” as dictated by the right winged media, judges and political parties especially the PML-N. Mubashar Lucman drew the ire of Jannisaran-e-Chief Justice when he openly questioned his bias in 2009 and also his responsibility in the wake of 12th May 2007 violence in Karachi. In the wake of the now forgotten Arsalan Iftikhar Chaudhry versus Malik Riaz saga, Lucman again drew the ire due to the “leaked” off air conversations with Malik Riaz. This was used as an opportunity to give the corruption of the incompetent Arsalan Iftikhar a different color and since then the matter has been lying in cold storage. Off late, Lucman, who now does a program on ARY News titled “Khara Sach” or “Bitter Truth”, has been challenging the opponent media group, Jang/Geo by taking on issues which are very close to the heart of Jang/Geo owners and borders on pinching Mir Shakil ur Rehman the wrong way.
Firstly, it is important to share this important information that till last information, Mir Shakil ur Rehman’s daughter is married to Jahangir Siddiqui’s son, Ali Jahangir Siddiqui. Jahangir Siddiqui is a successful yet controversial businessman for his ways of doing businesses. While it is not of importance as to how he made his billions, his group of companies’ reputation has taken a beating on two cases mainly: Price Manipulation and Insider Trading in the shares of Azgard Nine Limited (years 2007 and 2008) and the recent one off bonus given by his company, Jahangir Siddiqui & Co. Ltd. (JSCL) to his son amount to Rs. 430 million at the cost of shareholders interest. It may also be noted that Jahangir Siddiqui was away from Pakistan from 2009 till early 2012 on account of his tussles with some members of the ruling PPP, however, the match made in Dubai with Mir Shakil ur Rehman’s daughter was his passport back to Pakistan. In essence, Mir Shakil ur Rehman and his Jang Group are his biggest backers.
Coming to the way media talk shows take place, the only thing discussed is how to bash politicians and embarrass them with allegations of corruption. Mubashar Lucman has made a small difference by highlighting on media the case involving Price Manipulation and Insider Trading in the shares of Azgard Nine Limited which was made in light of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s report available on its website: http://www.secp.gov.pk/Reports/2013/ANL-Investigation-Report.pdf. Just to tell briefly, the SECP had filed a criminal complaint against six companies and 17 individuals involved in manipulation of price of Azgard Nine Limited (ANL) shares between April to July 2007 and then between November 2007 and April 2008, wherein the market capitalization of Azgard Nine Shares moved between Rs. 10.27 billion and Rs. 43.32 billion. The companies listed on the Pakistani stock markets went through boom and bust periods between April 2007 and April 2008, today the after 5 years, the stock market index is at an all time high. With the law of fundamentally strong companies allowing their stock prices to recover, the situation with ANL is completely opposite. Its share price today stands below Rs. 7 with a market capitalization of just Rs. 2.89 billion! If the company was fundamentally strong as people would have believed it in 2007 and 2008, its share price should have recovered to a decent level by now. In essence, this is just one example of high handed corruption in which public shareholders get effected.
Mubashar Lucman did a program on June 26, 2013 in which he named and shamed the Azgard Nine Limited and Jahangir Siddiqui Group’s connivance to short change shareholders and eventually banks of Pakistan. The program can be viewed on http://www.awaztoday.com/News-Talk-Shows/40113/Khara-Sach-With-Mubashir-Lucman-26th-June-2013.aspx or http://youtu.be/hYCkt82PJXU.
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Similarly, a former Chairman of SECP, Muhammad Ali, who was removed by the highly exalted and great judges of Pakistan in April 2013, after a publication of a shady news story in Jang and The News, a day before his hearing, wrote to the Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif about the high handedness of FIA / NAB at the behest of Mir Shakil ur Rehman and Jahangir Siddiqui. The letter came into the hands of ARY who showed it in their program of July 17, 2013. Muhammad Ali was dialed in being a gentleman, he didn’t take any names but allowed Mubahsar Lucman to name the people. It was sad to hear that Muhammad Ali, was harassed at the airport upon return from abroad by FIA asking them how could he go out as his name was in ECL!!! What was even more surprising that Mir Shakil ur Rehman and Jahangir Siddiqui have been able to use their influence to get his name on the ECL without any investigation against him!!! The program can be watched on http://www.awaztoday.com/News-Talk-Shows/41162/Khara-Sach-With-Mubashir-Lucman-17th-July-2013.aspx from 15 minutes onwards.
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Coming to the recent Geo/Jang versus Zaid Hamid matter, Mubashar Lucman is playing a balancing role between the mess that Jang / Geo is out to make by calling Zaid Hamid a blasphemous man and “Shatam-e-Rasool” and calling for his head through the Majlis-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat. All this has rolled on after tit for tat notices between Jang Group and Zaid Hamid, which we have written about earlier (Fight of two defamers: Jang Group vs Zaid Hamid). Mubashar Lucman had Zaid Hamid and Tahir Ashrafi on his program on July 24 and asked for settling this matter amicably than to do the usual ilzam tarashi. Zaid Hamid was critical of the role played by Jang/Geo Group by using the Aman Kee Asha to subvert Pakistan and its armed forces. While I am no fan of either Zaid Hamid or his handlers in the ISI, but his point of highlighting the role of Jang/Geo in the matter of Ajmal Kassab and branding him a Pakistani terrorist is unforgiveable. The program can be viewed on http://www.awaztoday.com/News-Talk-Shows/41462/Khara-Sach-With-Mubashir-Lucman-24th-July-2013.aspx
All in all, hats off to Mubashar Lucman for highlighting the corrupt role of Jang/Geo Group in both financial matters as well as Zaid Hamid. Maybe Jang/Geo went to personal and now Mubashar Lucman is going after them
I have noticed that Mubashir Lucman has been targetting MSR a lot. Thats good. Why should there be a holy cow in the form of a tax evading media tycoon. A real pakistan hater
I have always maintained that LUBP secretly supports establishment and its interests in one way or the other and this article is just another example. Mubasher Luqman is one of the biggest supporters of establishment on TV and He gets a complementary article on LUBP.. A coincidence. I bet no…
Mubasher Luqman first come to the light through his hard hitting program titled Luqman dot com on business plus in 2007. He quickly made a name for himself due to his aggressive style. He was a staunch critic of PML government in Musharraf’s era. Then he showed his true colous by accepting a ministry in caretaker setup in punjab before 2008 elections. This was a price that he accepted to support Musharraf. After this ministry he got a senior position in PTV… After Mush left Luqman was back on tv first on express then on Dunya Tv… What happened on Dunya TV once again exposed him.. He was caught red handed on a leaked video fixing a setup interview with malik Riaz.. Arsalan Iftikhar’s corruption was no doubt cover up by CJ but this can’t be used to Justify Luman’s role in this episode… Again after sometime He was back on ARY allegedly due to blessings of Malik Riaz…… After all that if anyone still does a hats off for Mubasher Luqman then He is living ina fool’s paradise….
Apart from that Luqman constantly targets those who criticize establishment such as Hamid Mir and najam Sethi, He defends the growing size of defence budget.. He is always ready to do a show to support establishment…. He is the worst example of what an anchor can do for money… Despite all that He is praised on LUBP… Thats enough to ring some bells
Right. LUPB’s main server is located in the ISI headquarter in Islamabad. LUBP also receives 10 Million dollars each year from Israel. This money goes directly into an account held by Nishapuri in the Riaz branch of the Royal Bank of Saudi Arabia. Recently a dispute erupted between Qari Umro Muavia and Nishapuri. Umro Muavia was demanding his legitimate share. But Nishapuri instead of giving him his constitutional and holy Islamic share blocked his LUBP account. Qari Muavia too the dispute to a Deobandi Sharia court located in the Mossad Hqr. in Tele-e-Jhangvi. The ruling Qadi Moshe Abu Guslan Al-Deobandi decided the case in favor of Qari Muavia. Nishapuri lost 1 .3 Million Dollars Qari Muavia. Nishapuri has also been sentenced to 4 months forced honey-mars in the jungles of Tal-e-Jhangvi.
I think so.
Abbas SB, didn’t want to write that I have written this article in “hubb e Ali” but rather than “bughz e Muawiya”, Muawiya being Jang group
I think ‘SB’ is ‘Sb’ — a typo. I hope so.
Response to Abbas Ahmad; I believe Mubashir Lucman is an icon for a free and courageous journalist. Although, his former employer framed him so he cannot say much against the Arsalan Iftikhar, but he rose again and earned a due respect among the normal Pakistanis. Brother Abbas Ahmad, please open your eyes, Mubashair is the only anchor who spoke against the takfiri group of ASW on the air first time. He took strong stance about Afia Siddiqui, when entire nation was crying for Afia to be resealed from US custody; and he wrote an article about the poor Pakistani women are being harassed in Saudi Jails without any compelling reasons or any allegation. They have not been presented to any so-called corrupt Saudi Sharia judicial system. In addition, Pakistani government the shoe lickers of Saudi + US governments did not care for those women. By his touching article, he tried to wake our drugged nation to do something for those innocent women as well along with Afia. He takes a strong aim towards those who are untouchables.
Best of all, he is not a member of the group in media Janisaran-e-Chief Justice. So please open your eyes and give a strong message to your upcoming generations that you stood by the truth.
Farooq Sab,
People like you also support Mubashir Lucman’s actions towards Mukhtaran Mai. You too would like to insult a rape victim so much that she is forced to get up and leave the show. It is available on you tube if you want to see your hero second by second mentally torturing a rape victim. Obviously you don’t have a mother.
Interesting to note how much your hero Mubashir supports the judicial system in the show saying he got justice in just two days in his cases.
Dawood Jan Muhammad
I am happy to see that at least someone has talked about the corruption of Jahangir Siddiqui Group and how they defrauded the shareholders for the year 2012. The company gave shareholders rs. 0.75 per share as cash dividend, but ended up paying rs 430 million to Ali Jahangir Siddiqui as Advisory Fees or bonus. The money must be for MSR’s daughter moo dikhai. As a shareholder I felt cheated. Such was their high handedness that they didn’t allow shareholders to raise the matter at the AGM in Karachi. Off course media will never report these things openly. Who would have Mir shakil against them?
Farooq Usmani “I believe Mubashir Lucman is an icon for a free and courageous journalist “.. I can only laugh on this statement, with due respect….. How can someone who has caught red handed on video doing a fixed show be an icon for free media… Just like Zaid Hamid, Mubasher Luqman is un-defendable… I have discussed his crimes in length in my previous comment…. I want to tell all the readers and commentators that please open your eyes Luqman is a black sheep.. he can do anything for money or to please his patrons…
By the way no one has any answer fro Luqman’s past crimes that i have raised……. for those who want to retort to abusive language, you are just representing how you have been brought up…
Brother Abbas Ahmad, Indeed, the way we brought up who we are. But think of it, that he is the only anchor stand against the giant Geo TV+Saudi Monarchs and Chief of Un-justice of Pakistan I M Choudhri long before any one had said anything. What he did in past, that is his past. What he is giving to the society which is present. I hope you had watched his show for July 25th, if not please do so. We as a muslim have not right to judge somone by his past. Everyone deserves a chance. Give him a chance, at least he is spreading the truth. The current situation of Pakistan is “if you tell the truth, count your days of life”. You have right for your opionion, but please give credit to someone who is putting his life by telling the truth on the air.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/05/100514_channels_tax_defaulters.shtml
What no one understand is Zaid hamid wants sharia, all these debates of his and all the people screaming and talking ill about the govt no matter who it is. and all the women taking part in the same thing. if you want Sharia Look at Saudi. Women cant even drive. People cant speak on open forums. Is that what you want ? even you people wont be able to say things on facebook openly including me if sharia is implemented. eg. Bahrain, oman, Qatar Saudi.
the way to talk on channel by luqman sb is like a street fight or you can say in punjabi “drama bazi”, we hate these talks, he should go to court and left on court what decide