A prominent media mogul in Pakistan has denied rape allegations levied against him by an esteemed filmmaker in a case which has sparked furious debate.
Jamshed Mahmood Raza accused Hameed Haroon, chief executive of Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn, of raping him 13 years ago.
Mr Raza first spoke out about being allegedly assaulted on Twitter back in October but described the purported wrongdoer as a “powerful person in our media world”.
He has now accused Mr Haroon of the assault in a series of tweets and insisted his claims against him are not connected to the paper which is one of Pakistan’s leading publications and has criticised its current government.
He tweeted: “I’m ready now. Are you ready to print this @dawn_com?”
But Mr Haroon rebuffed the allegations and claimed it was a bid to gag both himself and his publication.
He said: “The story is simply untrue and intentionally fabricated at the instance of those who wish to silence me and, through me, to compel the newspaper that I represent to support their repressive narrative”.
Mr Haroon said he would launch legal action in an attempt to clear his name – as well as to “safeguard the freedom of the press by bringing to justice all those responsible for these false and malicious allegations against me.”
He said he “categorically” denied all of the rape allegations launched against him.
Mr Raza, who many know as Jami Raza, said he foresaw his allegations being dismissed as a plea to tarnish the paper’s reputation.
He said: “It’s not about Dawn vs Jami. It’s (a) personal issue, raised now. I’m doing all this for few years to help victims.”
