Wasim Khan's duel with elements of Pakistan media

[MenInG]

Anyone can easily see that the relationship between PCB CE Wasim Khan and some elements of the Pakistani media is tenuous at the least and very strained in many cases.

His UK connection is generally used to indicate his lack of genuine interest in Pakistan cricket and is obviously driven by elements of the media who feel only 'real Pakistanis' can drive PCB towards a better future.

The restructure of domestic cricket, PSL 6 postponement and issues related to Abu Dhabi resumption has fueled this debate and seems that it will continue on for a while.

 

[Savak]

He specifically mentioned and targeted 2-3 journalists from Geo Super without mentioning their names where they threatened to start making his life a living hell if he did not start giving them exclusives or leaking news to them. One doesn't need a PhD to figure out he is talking about Yahya Hussaini here

 

[Saj]

The backhanders have stopped, the free trips abroad have stopped, the fully-paid flights have stopped, the hotel stays have stopped, a lot of access to players have stopped and most (not all) of the leaks have stopped from within the dressing room.

The media that have been used to this over the years are bound to get annoyed about this.

 

[Bewal Express]

He specifically mentioned and targeted 2-3 journalists from Geo Super without mentioning their names where they threatened to start making his life a living hell if he did not start giving them exclusives or leaking news to them. One doesn't need a PhD to figure out he is talking about Yahya Hussaini here

It's the Geo way. A crooked organisation that should have been banned

 

[Rana]

The backhanders have stopped, the free trips abroad have stopped, the fully-paid flights have stopped, the hotel stays have stopped, a lot of access to players have stopped and most (not all) of the leaks have stopped from within the dressing room.

The media that have been used to this over the years are bound to get annoyed about this.

Basically, a professional doing his level best to stop unprofessionalism. Of course he is going to make plenty of enemies in Pakistan

 

[Attiq_Lone]

He has been silent for over 2 years, anyone can run out of patience, and really the personal attacks that he had to go through, especially in the past couple of weeks, was just shameless behaviour by few journalists. He rightly called them out, and I believe 90% of Pakistanis are shaming them. People like Dr Niaz, Majid Bhatti, Yahya Hussaini, Shoaib Jutt, Mirza Iqbal Baig, are just too shameless to stop, they will still try to find arguments. I don't think this is gonna end soon, but PCB should surely look to cancel their membership and ban their entries inside the PCB media rooms.

 

[Saj]

He has been silent for over 2 years, anyone can run out of patience, and really the personal attacks that he had to go through, especially in the past couple of weeks, was just shameless behaviour by few journalists. He rightly called them out, and I believe 90% of Pakistanis are shaming them. People like Dr Niaz, Majid Bhatti, Yahya Hussaini, Shoaib Jutt, Mirza Iqbal Baig, are just too shameless to stop, they will still try to find arguments. I don't think this is gonna end soon, but PCB should surely look to cancel their membership and ban their entries inside the PCB media rooms.

This is easier said than done, as some of these guys have strong links within PCB and have 'old friends' working there.

It will be interesting to see how this situation develops and whether PCB has the guts to deal with these individuals.

 

[Attiq_Lone]

This is easier said than done, as some of these guys have strong links within PCB and have 'old friends' working there.

It will be interesting to see how this situation develops and whether PCB has the guts to deal with these individuals.

Well I hope these people are dealt accordingly. Because obviously, real cricket fans have now had enough of this behaviour from the media, and it shows a real bad image of Pakistan. It also damages the image of reputable and honest journalists that are there in Pakistan.

 

[Bewal Express]

This is easier said than done, as some of these guys have strong links within PCB and have 'old friends' working there.

It will be interesting to see how this situation develops and whether PCB has the guts to deal with these individuals.

Sack their friends. They are like a cancer and need to be removed

 

[MRSN]

The backhanders have stopped, the free trips abroad have stopped, the fully-paid flights have stopped, the hotel stays have stopped, a lot of access to players have stopped and most (not all) of the leaks have stopped from within the dressing room.

The media that have been used to this over the years are bound to get annoyed about this.

No wonder why they still cry over removing Sarfraz from captaincy. The guy used to give them a lot of airtime.

 

[Devadwal]

 

[moghul]

Wasim Khan's biggest blunder was to appoint Misbah and being unable to get rid of him but overall Wasim is nit doing a bad job. Its not easy to work for PCB and I don;t think we will have equally qualified person to take over anytime soon.

I hope he will keep ignoring those selfish journalists who thrive on creating controversies.

 

[Waqar's inswinging yorker]

Anyone can easily see that the relationship between PCB CE Wasim Khan and some elements of the Pakistani media is tenuous at the least and very strained in many cases.

His UK connection is generally used to indicate his lack of genuine interest in Pakistan cricket and is obviously driven by elements of the media who feel only 'real Pakistanis' can drive PCB towards a better future.

The restructure of domestic cricket, PSL 6 postponement and issues related to Abu Dhabi resumption has fueled this debate and seems that it will continue on for a while.

Wasim Khan- aside from Misbah has done a good job as Saj has detailed

 

[Titan24]

In the current world media is always going to write and say things about people holding public/national positions, sportsmen and other celebrities. So I think now a days its also part pf any such job to be able to handle media and pressure related to it well. In the end focus should be on doing the job you are supposed to do in a proper manner and without being influenced by the noise around as its going to be their.

Yes PSL 6 handling wasn't upto the mark without a doubt but, focus of Wasim should be on his job rather than worrying about the sentiments of certain part of media which is going target most of the CEOs, Coaches etc. irrespective of their performance as those spicy news is what they strive for.

 

[MenInG]

In the current world media is always going to write and say things about people holding public/national positions, sportsmen and other celebrities. So I think now a days its also part pf any such job to be able to handle media and pressure related to it well. In the end focus should be on doing the job you are supposed to do in a proper manner and without being influenced by the noise around as its going to be their.

Yes PSL 6 handling wasn't upto the mark without a doubt but, focus of Wasim should be on his job rather than worrying about the sentiments of certain part of media which is going target most of the CEOs, Coaches etc. irrespective of their performance as those spicy news is what they strive for.

Problem is that the media guys get too personal - Our guys don't understand where to draw the line.

 

[Mamoon]

When you do not perform, the media will criticize you. Wasim Khan has been a failure. Why does he expect the media to pamper him?

 

[Saj]

When you do not perform, the media will criticize you. Wasim Khan has been a failure. Why does he expect the media to pamper him?

Don't think he expects anyone to pamper him.

Also, whatever his performance had been, these guys will have made it personal.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Hard to expect much better from the media that is so over the top dumb and unprofessional.

 

[Saj]

Sack their friends. They are like a cancer and need to be removed

Well, interesting times ahead.

Some may have to look at some of their friendships.

 

[MenInG]

According to one Urdu media report, Wasim Khan referred to some Pakistani journalists as part of a circus, jokers and referred to the group as mafia....


Ok I might be a little biased but I tend to agree with that categorization.

 

[Markhor]

The backhanders have stopped, the free trips abroad have stopped, the fully-paid flights have stopped, the hotel stays have stopped, a lot of access to players have stopped and most (not all) of the leaks have stopped from within the dressing room.

The media that have been used to this over the years are bound to get annoyed about this.

Bingo. These personal attacks are generally from the friends of the freeloaders who were in PCB for decades doing nothing but collect their paycheck.

Now that some actual work and accountability is being done there's an outcry.

 

[Saj]

One journalist sent Wasim a text yesterday saying to him that he had gone too far. He also wrote that he will regret it and that he deserves and will get more hate.

 

[MenInG]

According to reports:

Karachi Press Club have asked for Wasim Khan's resignation due to his libellous statements against journalists

Rawalpindi and Islamabad journalists association have asked for an apology from Wasim Khan

Pakistan Sports Writers Federation have stated that Wasim Khan's statements against journalists are part of an organized conspiracy and have asked for his resignation

 

[Bewal Express]

Bingo. These personal attacks are generally from the friends of the freeloaders who were in PCB for decades doing nothing but collect their paycheck.

Now that some actual work and accountability is being done there's an outcry.

The story sounds familiar

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

In this country anyone with a speck of influence thinks they're some kind of a gangster. I never expected that sports journalists would have their own little mafia but then again like alot of other stuff, it doesn't surprise me.

Atleast Wasim Khan is doing something right. He would have to be, to attract the attention of these bottom-feeders. I personally think they overestimate their power by sending him threatening messages. Because at the end of the day many of them are glorified gossip columnists spreading gossip and rumors and 40% of the people in this country can't even write their name, let alone read the cricket gossip columns.

Attacking someone because they are foreign national is also some very 'lowest common denominator' stuff that says more about the person using it to attack someone rather than anything else.

 

[MenInG]

Another statement from Sports Journalist Association Sindh:


Wasim Khan is following the policy of divide and rule by drawing the line between good and bad journalists

The one loyal to the Crown follows the British style of governing

Pakistani journalists are no less professional than anyone

Wasim Khan has gone into mental bankruptcy

PCB CE Wasim Khan should take back his vulgar and immoral words and apologize to the journalist community

 

[MenInG]

Another statement from Sports Journalist Association Sindh:


Wasim Khan is following the policy of divide and rule by drawing the line between good and bad journalists

The one loyal to the Crown follows the British style of governing

Pakistani journalists are no less professional than anyone

Wasim Khan has gone into mental bankruptcy

PCB CE Wasim Khan should take back his vulgar and immoral words and apologize to the journalist community

Another statement asking for legal action to be taken and for protests to be held nationwide against Wasim Khan!

 

[Saj]

So some people have called him names, called him a foreigner, said he is only there for the money, mocked his accent - how dare he give them a bit of a taste of their own medicine.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Another statement from Sports Journalist Association Sindh:


Wasim Khan is following the policy of divide and rule by drawing the line between good and bad journalists

The one loyal to the Crown follows the British style of governing

Pakistani journalists are no less professional than anyone

Wasim Khan has gone into mental bankruptcy

PCB CE Wasim Khan should take back his vulgar and immoral words and apologize to the journalist community

What a ignorant statement considering Pakistan itself follows the 'British style of governing'.

Also, these guys verbally abuse him as much as they possibly can and then play the oppressed card? How deluded can you possibly get?

 

[Hasan123]

He has been personally attacked which is not right but I have also seen him been fairly criticised.

 

[Bewal Express]

All these losers that are attacking WK are doing to get their freebies back. If WK is forced out, PK will be set back by 2 decades. He needs to face down these thugs.

 

[Saj]

He has been personally attacked which is not right but I have also seen him been fairly criticised.

I haven't seen him complain about any constructive criticism.

 

[MenInG]

Problem is that some journalists were hoping against hope that PSL will not happen.

So we had all kinds of silly accusations etc but now that schedule is announced, there is a huge push to cover their tracks and look smart.

Obviously, Wasim saw this an opportunity to hit back after holding back for a long time - and these guys don't like it!

 

[El Generico]

When you do not perform, the media will criticize you. Wasim Khan has been a failure. Why does he expect the media to pamper him?

Mocking his accent and calling him a foreigner are personal attacks not criticism. Some journalists made it personal so obviously he will respond.

 

[Mamoon]

Mocking his accent and calling him a foreigner are personal attacks not criticism. Some journalists made it personal so obviously he will respond.

Calling him a foreigner is not a personal attack and it cannot be deemed as a criticism either.

If you give Wasim Khan a choice between keeping his UK passport and keeping his Pakistani passport, what would he do?

You do not have to answer on his behalf because we all know what his answer would be.

He is a foreigner. His real loyalty lies with the UK and that is his home.

Anyone individual who has a foreign passport or ant individual who is not willing to give up his foreign passport should not be working in a government organization especially at an executive level.

 

[Attiq_Lone]

Calling him a foreigner is not a personal attack and it cannot be deemed as a criticism either.

If you give Wasim Khan a choice between keeping his UK passport and keeping his Pakistani passport, what would he do?

You do not have to answer on his behalf because we all know what his answer would be.

He is a foreigner. His real loyalty lies with the UK and that is his home.

Anyone individual who has a foreign passport or ant individual who is not willing to give up his foreign passport should not be working in a government organization especially at an executive level.

Is PCB really a government organisation? Yes the Chairman is appointed by the PM, but that's about it. They generate their own revenue and they can decide how much to give to their employees. Wasim Khan is the CEO of a self governing and sustaining organisation, which needs no indication from the government. The government doesn't give funds to the PCB, so the salary Wasim Khan gets, is not from public funds, so in that case, they can hire anyone they think is capable and qualified enough for the role (regardless of the nationality).

Foreign coaches are PCB employees as well, do you want them to give up their nationality as well??

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Wasim Khan has today made the following statement:

“On Saturday during an interview, I made some comments about some members of the media. On reflection, my selection of words and the tenor was inappropriate, which I regret. The continued and unending tirade against me based on my loyalty and commitment to Pakistan cricket took its toll on me.

“I look forward to building and strengthening my relationships with the media but also hope their assessment, analysis and scrutiny will be on my work, performance and contributions.”

 

[Mamoon]

Is PCB really a government organisation? Yes the Chairman is appointed by the PM, but that's about it. They generate their own revenue and they can decide how much to give to their employees. Wasim Khan is the CEO of a self governing and sustaining organisation, which needs no indication from the government. The government doesn't give funds to the PCB, so the salary Wasim Khan gets, is not from public funds, so in that case, they can hire anyone they think is capable and qualified enough for the role (regardless of the nationality).

Foreign coaches are PCB employees as well, do you want them to give up their nationality as well??

PCB is not funded by tax money but it is not a private organization because its patron in chief is the prime minister.

As a result, it is a government organization. Self-sustainable yes, but it is not private.

Henceforth, in my opinion, it should not be led by dual passport holders. If dual passport holders cannot hold public office in the government of Pakistan, they should not be appointed as chairmen and CEOs of PCB either.

The coach is not an executive. He only manages one of the many cricket teams of PCB and is not responsible for the overall performance of the organization.

The only two positions that should not be occupied by dual passports holders are the chairman and CEO, since they are the only two offices whose occupiers are responsible for the overall performance and structure of the organization.

 

[MenInG]

Another statement by journalists:



The Sports Journalists Association of Lahore (Sjal) strongly condemns the PCB chief executive Wasim Khan's remarks against sports journalist, and is not satisfied with the explanatory statement issued by him.

SJAL demands that Wasim Khan, apart from calling his words inappropriate, should also apologize properly

Wasim Khan himself has admitted that he has used inappropriate words, so he should apologize for his statement.

We are grateful to all journalists for standing side by side on this issue


Secretary Sjal

Chaudhry Ashraf

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Calling him a foreigner is not a personal attack and it cannot be deemed as a criticism either.

If you give Wasim Khan a choice between keeping his UK passport and keeping his Pakistani passport, what would he do?

You do not have to answer on his behalf because we all know what his answer would be.

He is a foreigner. His real loyalty lies with the UK and that is his home.

Anyone individual who has a foreign passport or ant individual who is not willing to give up his foreign passport should not be working in a government organization especially at an executive level.

Would you say the same for foreign coaches? Some of the teams you praise most lavishly in this sport and others are coached by foreigners. It would be great if Pakistan could rely on homegrown leadership, but as a constant critic of Pakistani leadership yourself, I am struggling to see where you are coming from. Unless as an ill-wisher of Pakistan you wish to see them continue to flounder, and thus fear Wasim may make progress.

 

[silentkiller187]

Calling him a foreigner is not a personal attack and it cannot be deemed as a criticism either.

If you give Wasim Khan a choice between keeping his UK passport and keeping his Pakistani passport, what would he do?

You do not have to answer on his behalf because we all know what his answer would be.

He is a foreigner. His real loyalty lies with the UK and that is his home.

Anyone individual who has a foreign passport or ant individual who is not willing to give up his foreign passport should not be working in a government organization especially at an executive level.

i think 99% of Pakistanis would choose a British passport if they had a choice lets not beat around the bush.

Its clear to see all the privilege's journalists had with the old regime are fast drying up and as a result they have started to attack Wasim. Only in Pakistan you get unprofessionalism like this, better of putting a parchi back in and jumping back on the merry go round.

 

[MenInG]

Wasim Khan should admit his mistake and apologize instead of expressing regret, SJAS, Karachi

All the officials and the working committee, including the President of Sports Journalists Association Sindh (SJAS) Asif Khan and Secretary Asghar Azeem, in a joint statement rejected the explanatory statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board and said that whilst the Chief Executive of the PCB Wasim Khan is admitting that he used inappropriate words, it is a good practice to admit the mistake and instead of expressing regret, Wasim Khan should apologize to the sports journalists.

Issued by: Maqsoor Ahmed Secretary Information, SJAS

 

[Saj]

I don't think the PCB should have issued the statement as some of these journos are making it look like it's some sort of apology from Wasim Khan and the PCB are backing down and frightened of the journalists.

I can see what PCB was trying to do, but this will get worse now, after the statement by PCB.

 

[Saj]

I remember being at the press box in Edgbaston a few years back and some of the Pakistani journos were having a ball.

No work, just sat around chatting and laughing at PCB for paying them to do nothing, paying for their travel, their accommodation and everything else during their stay in England.

In fact one of the English journalists asked me, don't they have any work to do.

None of that happening now it seems, hence the anger.

 

[MenInG]

Seems the word "tirade" is not one that our journalists understand.

Here is one journalist asking for Wasim Khan's removal based upon an English word!

 

[MRSN]

Lol there is a reason why we think there is a strong media mafia who just want their people in the PCB or PCT.

 

[Bewal Express]

The PCB has to show some balls and take on these lecherous thugs. What is the contribution of these leaches to PK cricket. WK is a professional trying to bring professionalism to an organisation seen as a cash cow by every one that works for it and all that suck of its teat.

 

[iniqbal223]

PCB is a cashcow (just because it gets revenue from ICC) They themselves can't revenue generate revenue based on their brand..

And this cashew attracts politicians, media, ex cricketers, Misbahs & Waqars, and every one else.. All wants to be part of this Biryani fest (figuratively speaking)

 

[sshakir411]

Wasim Khan needs strong support around him to deal with Pakistani crooks. Journalists should not even have access to him and anything related to media/PR/official communication shouldn't be his scope of work. He can talk here and there when needed but shouldn't be the one explaining the Board's policy to an awaam that is not only jaahil but also impatient. We all think PCB is a one-man show but for it to be successful in the long-term, we need a management team that is undeterred by the media mafia and continues to make changes needed to fix our broken system.

 

[Major]

Waseem Khan should learn from Misbah

 

[Varun]

I remember being at the press box in Edgbaston a few years back and some of the Pakistani journos were having a ball.

No work, just sat around chatting and laughing at PCB for paying them to do nothing, paying for their travel, their accommodation and everything else during their stay in England.

In fact one of the English journalists asked me, don't they have any work to do.

None of that happening now it seems, hence the anger.

None of that happening now because of Covid, or because Wasim Khan put a stop to this even before Covid?

 

[Saj]

Lol there is a reason why we think there is a strong media mafia who just want their people in the PCB or PCT.

Absolutely. Yet some ignorant folk think it's a myth.

 

[Saj]

The PCB has to show some balls and take on these lecherous thugs. What is the contribution of these leaches to PK cricket. WK is a professional trying to bring professionalism to an organisation seen as a cash cow by every one that works for it and all that suck of its teat.

The problem is, some within PCB have historic ties and friendships with some of these people, so they don't want to upset them and make enemies out of them.

They are caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

[Saj]

None of that happening now because of Covid, or because Wasim Khan put a stop to this even before Covid?

Nothing to do with Covid at all.

The freebies stopped, the drama started.

 

[Markhor]

We have foreign head coaches, foreign specialist coaches, foreign trainers yet such hue and cry over a foreign CEO.

This isn't an alien concept - CWI have a British CEO themselves in Johnny Grave.

Wasim Khan is not above criticism based on his decisions but there's more than a whiff of xenophobia in some of these personal attacks.

Some of these journos have really lost the plot by resorting to threats.

 

[Bewal Express]

The problem is, some within PCB have historic ties and friendships with some of these people, so they don't want to upset them and make enemies out of them.

They are caught between a rock and a hard place.

WK is only going to be there for 3 years. He needs to cut these thugs to size. As long as IK is in power he is safe, so take the opportunity to go after these vested interests. Talk sweet in public, but don't give them an inch.

 

[Bouncer]

Absolutely. Yet some ignorant folk think it's a myth.

And the power to these journalist comes more from x Cricketers and senior most playing cricketers , mostly from one area.

That's been the biggest cancer to Pak cricket for decades now.

 

[Golden arm]

Wasim Khan's biggest blunder was to appoint Misbah and being unable to get rid of him but overall Wasim is nit doing a bad job. Its not easy to work for PCB and I don;t think we will have equally qualified person to take over anytime soon.

I hope he will keep ignoring those selfish journalists who thrive on creating controversies.

The appointment was by IK. It has been confirmed at various levels and sources and even from horses mouth. Let's stop blaming Waseem for this blunder

 

[Mamoon]

The appointment was by IK. It has been confirmed at various levels and sources and even from horses mouth. Let's stop blaming Waseem for this blunder

Firstly, there is not a shred of evidence that Imran forced Misbah on Wasim. People are happy to believe this rumor because it present a convenient opportunity.

It is very difficult to champion Wasim as a competent administrator and also defend his decision to appoint Misbah, so blaming Imran is a convenient solution.

Secondly, even if we assume that Imran forced Misbah on Wasim, what does it say about Wasim?

If he is so spineless that the PM has bullied him into appointing a coach that he did not want to appoint, does he deserve to be the CEO?

If he does not have the guts to stand his ground and make independent decisions, he should not be occupying this role in the first place.

We need strong men to lead. Not sycophants and brown-nosers.

So if you believe that appointing Misbah was a bad call, there is no way you can deflect the blame from Wasim because regardless of whether it was his or Imran’s calls, he doesn’t come out of this covered in glory.

 

[NoBallZombie]

Firstly, there is not a shred of evidence that Imran forced Misbah on Wasim. People are happy to believe this rumor because it present a convenient opportunity.

It is very difficult to champion Wasim as a competent administrator and also defend his decision to appoint Misbah, so blaming Imran is a convenient solution.

Secondly, even if we assume that Imran forced Misbah on Wasim, what does it say about Wasim?

If he is so spineless that the PM has bullied him into appointing a coach that he did not want to appoint, does he deserve to be the CEO?

If he does not have the guts to stand his ground and make independent decisions, he should not be occupying this role in the first place.

We need strong men to lead. Not sycophants and brown-nosers.

So if you believe that appointing Misbah was a bad call, there is no way you can deflect the blame from Wasim because regardless of whether it was his or Imran’s calls, he doesn’t come out of this covered in glory.

I dont think a lot of people can standup against IK, so asking Wasim to go against IK who also happens to be the patron of the board and the sitting PM is downright preposterous.

Misbah's tenure is nothing short of horrific and it doesnt take Einstein to work that out. Wasim is no Ijaz butt that he would just stick to Misbah because he hired him in the first place. From the outside, it does seem like Misbah has some really solid connections that are keeping in that role because coaches have been let go for much better performances in the past.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

The backhanders have stopped, the free trips abroad have stopped, the fully-paid flights have stopped, the hotel stays have stopped, a lot of access to players have stopped and most (not all) of the leaks have stopped from within the dressing room.

The media that have been used to this over the years are bound to get annoyed about this.

exactly this...and its just not sports journos... its for the media as a whole .... no luxury pvt plane trips.. no contracts for their pvt add companies... no adds for channels ..no easy money ... no petrol pumps in liberty for Rs2,000/month .. no ambassadorship promises...