In a 2022 first, another leaked audio conversation between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and PML-N Leader Pervaiz Rashid left netizens full of anger and sarcasm.
While the two politicians could be heard allegedly planning to control independent media, the audio claims that certain journalists received ‘baskets’ from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Journalists in Pakistan for a long have been associated with the word “Lifafa”, a term used to discredit them for taking a bribe. However, after the leaked audio, Twitterati has given a new name to journalists and started calling them “basket journalists” instead. The term was coined after Maryam said in the alleged audio that two baskets should be sent to journalists.
Here are a few of the memes doing the rounds calling journalists “basket”.
As per the leaked audio, Pervaiz Rashid, referring to how criticism was directed towards PML-N on a political talk show on Geo News, said to Maryam Nawaz, “They have a programme called ‘Score Card’ [Report Card], Hassan Nisar is a part of its [panel] he abuses us a lot.”
Rashid lamented the fact that there was not one single person [journalist/analyst] whom they could call a spokesperson for the party.
Towards the end of the clip, Maryam allegedly passes instructions that a pair of baskets that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif brought from Azerbaijan should be sent to journalists Nusrat Javeed and Rana Jawad.
