Journalist Hasnain Liaquat denied media accreditation for criticizing PCB chairman Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: A good cop, bad cop continues in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as Hasnain Liaquat, a senior sports journalist-cum-anchor of ABN News, was denied media accreditation ahead of Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series, being held at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Hasnain Liaquat shared a video message on social media lamenting PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi and PCB officials for denying media accreditation disguising the security clearance issues.

Taking on X, while addressing the PCB Chairman, he said, “I am a journalist, but in your time, I still need clearance from PCB security agencies to get an accreditation card for the Test series starting tomorrow.”

He added that this was just a drama to not provide him with media clearance for criticizing Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB administration for Pakistan’s recent disastrous T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.

Hasnain Liaquat showed his previous accreditation cards from various cricketing events held at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, adding that he wasn’t a security concern earlier and denying a security clearance now shows the cricket board’s selective attitude towards journalists criticizing them for the team’s disappointing play.

“Yes, if my fault is to speak the truth and to criticize the PCB authorities for Pakistan’s disastrous defeat, then I will continue to sacrifice many such accreditations, but I cannot back down from speaking the truth,” he wrote on X.

ABN News journalist said that refusing an accreditation card to me on the pretext of security clearance is not only an abuse against me but also a cowardly attempt to stop a big media group from covering sports.

He appealed to chairman PCB and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi to immediately take notice and issue accreditation cards for the coverage of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Test series starting tomorrow.