KARACHI, Pakistan: Pakistan’s leading journalists Kamran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Azhar Abbas, Asma Shirazi and Nusrat Javed have left the BOL Media Group on Saturday amid a controversy currently faced by its owner IT Company Axact.
Charges against Axact far from proven in court but my conscience not letting me continue.I’ve decided to disassociate from Bol immediately
— Kamran Khan (@AajKamranKhan) May 23, 2015
I can not work for an organization whose basic workings conflict with my proffesional comittment.Ive decided to disassociate myself from Bol
— Iftikhar Ahmad (@jawabdeyh) May 23, 2015
I have resigned from BOL after speaking to my editors and staff. I did put together a great team of journalists. Wish them best — Azhar Abbas (@AzharAbbas3) May 23, 2015
I have Resigned from Bol News, truth must prevail.
— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) May 23, 2015
Kamran Khan joined the BOL Media Group as President and Editor-in-Chief on July 27 last year days after he left Geo TV where he used to host nightly show “Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Sath” while Iftikhar Ahmad joined the group as the Senior Executive Vice President & Senior Anchorperson on October 18 last year.
Azhar Abbas joined the group as the President and CEO while Asma Shirazi joined BOL News on October 24, 2014 as Executive Vice President and Senior Anchorperson. Moreover, Nusrat Javed joined BOL News as Executive Vice President & Senior Anchorperson on January 22, 2015.
Their resignations come when the Karachi-based Software Company is under an investigation regarding its alleged involvement in the fake degrees scandal.
BOL N HOLES: Aftr KamranKhan’s exit from #BOL this OFFICIAL Pix of Bol on its website speaks 4 itself. So many Holes! pic.twitter.com/nxjBGKTPI5 — SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) May 23, 2015
The New York Times journalist Declan Walsh authored a story titled “Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions” published on May 17 which claimed that Axact allegedly earned millions of dollars from scams involving fake degrees, non-existent online universities and manipulation of customers.
However, the Company denied all such charges while its Chairman and CEO Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh described the NYT story as baseless and part of a conspiracy to defame the BOL TV.
Following the announcement that BOL TV, having Pakistan’s largest media infrastructure, is set to make it on air, numerous Pakistan’s leading journalists including Kamran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Nasir Baig Chughtai, Ashfaque Ishaque, Farah Yousaf, Faysal Aziz Khan, Waseem Badami, Nusrat Javed, Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, Asma Shirazi, Muhammad Usama Ghazi, Jasmeen Manzoor, Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Nazir Leghari, Amir Zia and many others joined the BOL TV Network.
However, Waseem Badami who also joined the BOL TV as an Executive Vice President and senior anchorperson resigned later. Earlier, he was working as an anchorperson in ARY News Channel.
