‘Self-proclaimed’ Sports journalist who is known for his appetite for controversies, Shoaib Jatt, acted unethically on yet another occasion, leaking Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s private chat conversation without his consent.
In a local sports TV show, they displayed Babar Azam’s private WhatsApp conversation on live TV. Shoaib Jatt is the one who took the screenshot and showed it on a live TV show.
they just showed babar azam's priv whatsapp convo with someone on live tv without his consent. this is pakistan's captain. how can you stoop so low @Shoaib_Jatt and how can you approve to show this on your show @WaseemBadami, expected better from you. ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. LANAT. pic.twitter.com/N1uuqMeLZh
— عثمان (@usmssss) October 29, 2023
The former Pakistan captain, Azhar Ali, was also a part of the show, and he inquired with Shoaib Jatt about the privacy breach concerning Babar’s private chat. Before sharing this message with him, did they seek permission from Babar?
He also emphasized that before airing it on live TV, you should seek permission from Babar Azam regarding the display of his private chat.
True to form, Shoaib Jatt’s response was illogical, unintelligent, and quite foolish, summarizing his overall demeanor surrounding discourse. He claimed that I shouldn’t need to seek permission from Babar because journalists have the right to expose something if they discover it, even without permission. However, I haven’t received a personal message.
Before this controversy, there were rumors circulating on certain local sports channels that Skipper Babar Azam attempted to contact PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, but Zaka Ashraf did not respond to his calls.
Shoaib Jatt attempted to debunk this rumor on his sports show, but leaking someone’s private chat, particularly that of the Pakistan team’s captain and the world’s top-ranked batter, is not the appropriate way to address such rumors.
Netizens are also unhappy with this pathetic act and have expressed their frustrations on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
@falamb3 you need to highlight this issue in ur show. This is not how journalism works. How on earth can they target our national team's captain right in the middle of the WC?propaganda against our players started way before the WC but now we r done with these insults & taunts.
— Maham 🇵🇰 (@mmahamm1) October 30, 2023
U guys have started all this drama by accusing @TheRealPCB, it's not answering Babar's call. SHAME ON U. Now @TheRealPCB has leaked chat's screenshot to prove, Babar didn't call him. Now u guys r crying. U guys r real culprits. U r hypocrites.
— muhammad ismail (@muhamma13459214) October 29, 2023
Some people also appreciated Azhar Ali for raising his question to Shoaib Jatt.
Appreciation for Azhar Ali what a person he was so right for calling him out and lanati jutt be like yeh tu mera kaam hai
— Ramsha🇵🇸 (@IstandwithK) October 29, 2023
Shoaib Jutt has crossed all the limits,Serious action must be taken against him!
Hats of too Azhar Ali The way he pointed out ❤️#ZakaAshraf #AzharAli #LeaveYourOfficeZaka#BehindYouSuperManRizwan #ShameOnYouZaka #GoHomeZaka#Say_No_To_Lafafa_Journalismpic.twitter.com/va1NUIYlZh
— Ahtasham Riaz 🇵🇰 (@AhtashamRiaz_) October 30, 2023
Meanwhile, Shoaib Jatt has consistently expressed his dislike for Babar Azam and frequently shares negative opinions about him. However, this time, he has gone too far by publicly disclosing Babar’s private conversations. A sports journalist has the freedom to critique a player, but they should always maintain boundaries and avoid getting too personal in their criticism.
Professional ethics are unknown to most Pakistani people. They can stoop to any level to gain publicity and popularity. You CANNOT share personal conversation of anyone like that. Anyway Pakistan has no Data privacy laws, so people will continue to do it like that.