Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Mr Khan's right-hand man, had jumped to the defence of CNN reporter Adeel Raja after he was sacked over the tweet which he posted Sunday. Mr Akbar, who meets with British government officials including Home Secretary Priti Patel, described the sacking as an attack on 'impartial journalism' in a tweet. That drew a fierce backlash from senior media figures in Pakistan, forcing Mr Akbar to issue an apology. Mr Akbar had written: 'Losing @CNN job for @adeelraja is less of a financial loss for him than for CNN losing credibility for impartiality in journalism.' Sources said Mr Akbar and Raja were close friends and the under-fire journalist was a supporter of Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Source: Daily Mail May 17, 2021 15:22 UTC