BBC 'Shuts Down' Karachi Office After Controversial Report on Indian Funding of Pakistan's MQM Party
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has reportedly shut its office in Karachi, Pakistan, after the channel's report on alleged Indian funding of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) triggered tension in the city.
On Wednesday, BBC published a report headlined 'Pakistan's MQM 'received Indian funding''. The report said members of the MQM party told UK authorities that India had funded them, while a Pakistani official told the channel that India had also trained hundreds of MQM militants over the last decade.
The report also said the British authorities found a list of weapons owned by the party.
The report comes in the backdrop of frequent accusations by Pakistan that India's intelligence agency RAW trained militants in the country.
However, India has called the BBC report 'baseless', while MQM leadership has also denied the allegations.
"The BBC Report on India training MQM members is completely baseless. Shortcomings of governance cannot be rationalized by blaming neighbours," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
"The allegations are utterly baseless, and have been planted by the Pakistan army to defame us," Muhammad Anwar, a top leader of the MQM's London branch, told The Indian Express.
Following the report, the BBC shut its office in Karachi, where the MQM has a strong base, the Indian Express said.
The Express Tribune also said that the BBC Karachi office was shut down, citing 'unofficial reports'.
Several Pakistani journalists and writers tweeted that BBC had closed its Karachi office.
BBC Office in #Karachi is closed for pre-emptive measures due to a report/documentary which is coming out.
BBC shut its Karachi office in anticipation would it close its India office too?
However, there is no official statement from BBC yet.
Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/bbc-shuts-down-karachi-office-after-controversial-report-indian-funding-mqm-party-637011
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