Agha Masood blasts unethical practice
Staff Report
KARACHI: CEO Bridge Public Relations firm started threatening the staff of “The Financial Daily” (TFD) due to publishing an investigative report against their client Pak Qatar Family Takaful (PQFT) on Saturday, July 4, 2020 on spreading coronavirus in PQFT offices due to mismanagement of the company.
He sent threatening voice messages to the friend of Executive Editor TFD and office-bearers of an editors’ organization. CEO Bridge PR warned that now TFD will not get anything by this way from his client PQFT and he will ensure that in future TFD will not get advertisements from his other clients like Engro and Meezan Bank etc. also.
In his threatening voice message he said that TFD should stop blackmailing his client. He warned of defamation suit against TFD otherwise. He also warned TFD to stop reporting against his client who was literally failed to follow COVID-19 compliance and many employees become the COVID-19 carriers including their Chief Executive Officer Azim Pirani and Chief Operating Officer also both are in quarantine as its Human Resources Chief, Kamran Ali Khan failed to formulate any policies and procedures to adopt preventive strategies for staff to save themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic.
All the reporting staff is afraid to come to PQFT office on a regular basis due to COVID-19. Official of PQFT not replied TFD query when asked on this situation before publishing the news.
After the publishing of the news, PR agency of PQFT instead to explaining the facts, started threatening to file a suit against TFD and ensure stoppage of advertisements of different clients due to publication of news item against PQFT based on research by the TFD staff.
Engro & Meezan Bank should also clarify that, have they are authorized to Bridge PR for allocation of advertisements or they release advertisements on PR agency recommendations. TFD welcomes any law suit as they published the news item in question on spreading coronavirus in offices of PQFT after detailed investigation and is based on facts.
Editor TFD Agha Masood Hussain has condemned this unethical practice on the part of Public Relation Agency, whose business is based on the support of the media houses.
