Babar Azam’s ‘private’ chat leaked on-air. Anchor apologizes for “wrong” decision after backlash

• The chat surfaced following allegations made by Rashid Latif about Babar and the PCB.
• Azhar Ali asks if Babar’s consent was obtained before sharing chat.
• No mention of date and time in conversation between skipper, PCB employee.

KARACHI: Netizens and former cricketers have expressed outrage over the airing of an alleged “private” WhatsApp conversation between Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, terming it a violation of privacy and an unethical move.

The reports circulated on social media, which gained momentum following former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif’s comments that the PCB senior management was ignoring Babar Azam’s messages.

Speaking to state broadcaster PTV Sports, Rashid Latif claimed that the captain has been sending messages to PCB Board of Management Chairman Zaka Ashraf, Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla for the past two days, but all three are does not respond.

What happened during a live TV show?

The controversy was also discussed on a private news channel when a screenshot of an alleged WhatsApp conversation between the two was broadcast.

“Babar, there is also this news on TV and social media that you have been calling the President and he is not answering. Have you called him lately?’

To which, Babar Azam reportedly replied, “Salaam Salman bhai, ma nai to ser ko koi call nai ke [Salam Salman bhai, I have not made any calls to sir].”

“Okay thanks,” the other person replied.

However, the date the contact was made was not mentioned.

Former Pakistan cricketer Azhar Ali, who was one of the guests on the show, asked the reporter if he got Babar’s consent before leaking a private communication.

Which he said, as a reporter, he doesn’t need to ask.

This move did not go down well with netizens who slammed the TV channel’s management and the reporter for their “immoral” move.

“I think you all forgot that the WC tournament is still going on… and he is still the Pakistan Captain. When will we grow up,” lamented Anila Khawaja, a UK-based Pakistani journalist.

Anchor apologizes

Meanwhile, the host of the show, Waseem Badami, apologized on behalf of his team and the TV management over the issue and explained his side of the story.

“When we do a live show that involves a lot of people, there are a number of decisions that are made. Some of them are good and sometimes we make decisions that are wrong.

“And today, I think we took a wrong decision regarding an alleged WhatsApp conversation between Babar Azam and a senior PCB official. You may ask if this was a wrong move, then why did it happen.”

The host then went on to explain what happened before the show and why they did it, what they did.

“Before the show, we had consultations on the matter and decided not to air this,” Badami said.

However, minutes before the show, the anchor said, his production team found a video of the PCB chief in which he allegedly allowed the conversation to air and took full responsibility for the matter.

“At this point, we have decided to broadcast the screenshot assuming that a responsible official takes full responsibility for it. Conveniently forgetting that it’s a private conversation between two people.”

The host also admitted that the decision was taken “in haste” just three to four minutes before the show, but added that they did not agree whether Babar Azam agreed to broadcast it live.

“But I think it was not an ideal decision and I say this not only on behalf of myself, but also on behalf of my team and the management of the television. Because we believe it was a private conference and should not be broadcast without consent.

“Well, if he had hurt anyone. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and I’m not just proud of it… we’re not proud of it.”

He finished the video statement with a promise to learn from what happened and not make that mistake again.

It is important to note that the alleged permission of the PCB chief was not relevant here as it concerned two private individuals and Zaka Ashraf was neither of them. However, an official statement from the PCB may clear the air around this issue.