Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the on-air heated argument between former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and PTV Sports anchorperson Nauman Niaz, Geo News reported.
Pakistan Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan revealed that the premier has also taken notice of the issue and has directed the committee to take immediate action.
He said that Imran Khan was also upset that the host of the show insulted the national star, the report said.
“You cannot ask anybody to leave the show on the air, this is arrogance,” he said, adding that Niaz should have evaluated his and Akhtar’s value.
“Dr Niaz should have thought a hundred times before insulting Akhtar,” he maintained, questioning “is this how we treat our National stars in front of international cricket greats”.
He was of the view that people around the world were watching the show, “it was a big day for Pakistan, our team had defeated New Zealand everybody was celebrating and this incident happened”.
Khan reiterated that this is not how somebody should treat our national stars, the report added.
Acknowledging Akhtar’s efforts to resolve the issue on air, he said: “I would also appreciate Akhtar because contrary to his nature he acted calmly although he is known for his aggression because he is a fast bowler.”
Shedding light on Niaz’s statement that he would not allow anybody else to host the show, the minister said that neither the state-owned channel belongs to anybody’s father nor does the show.
