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Updated 05 Nov, 2021 04:07pm

PTI supporters slam journalist Saleem Safi for "fake peerni" Vlog

Journalist Saleem Safi was the subject of PTI supporters' wrath after publishing his Vlog on fake peernis on Thursday night.

In the video, the senior journalist narrates reports of families in Peshawar who wore robbed by women posing as spiritual healers (peers). He then goes on to give some historical background on such charlatans and what Islam has to say on this.

He says in Urdu that fake pirs and peernis in the country have become a serious cause of concern for the country, saying should they enter the house, family or politics they ruin it. One has to be very weary of them, he says.

Many have taken his video to be a commentary on current affairs in the country. They are likening it to Asma Shirazi's BBC column a few weeks ago in which she said the country's economy could not be fixed by magic.

In both cases, Twitter users believe the journalists are making references to Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi.

Many took offense to his video.

Others said the journalist was applying clickbait tactics to get people to watch the video.

By Friday afternoon, a hashtag calling Safi a "lifafa" journalist along with an expletive was doing the rounds on Twitter.

While PTI supporters were the most offended by Safi's new video on fake spiritual healers, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill, himself no stranger to controversy, took to Twitter to make a dig at Safi's name.

Gill's racism was met with swift condemnation.

While many fought over what Safi's intent was in his video, one user tweeted his support for the journalist's message, saying fake spritual healers had robbed a house in Peshawar.

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