Pakistan minister wimps out after calling Maj Gaurav Arya 'RAW Director' & naming Republic

Days after Pakistan's Pulwama admission, a Pakistani minister belonging to Pak PM Imran Khan's PTI party has openly targeted Republic TV and has issued a challenge to Republic's senior consulting editor Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) referring to him as "RAW director". However, when confronted by Republic TV's senior associate editor Sanjay Pathak, Pakistani minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan backed out from his claims, and said that he wanted 'to debate with a BJP minister.'

Even as Chohan launched an absurd attack against Republic TV in a press conference, Chohan, when confronted on a call, refuted his own remarks and said that he has nothing against the channel. 

"Call a minister from the BJP and then make him face me one-on-one. We don't get along together. He ( Major Gaurav Arya) is deputy director of RAW. No, I didn't give any challenge to you. I am asking you to call a minister..." When told that he had said in his press conference that 'Gaurav Arya should face me', Chohan in a blatant dismissal said, "I didn't say this in my press conference. Sanjay, listen to me. You call your minister. Call your minister to discuss on issues...Make a BJP minister in the govt face me. You discuss with them first, then we will talk tomorrow," Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan said.

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Fayaz Ul-Hasan Chohan's statements against Republic 

Days after its Pulwama admission, a Pakistani minister has now lashed out at Republic TV and its Senior Consulting Editor - Strategic Affairs Retd Major Gaurav Arya. On Saturday, Provincial Minister of Punjab for Information and Culture Fayaz Ul-Hasan Chohan held a public press conference and claimed that Arya is 'director at RAW' and 'only held malice for Pakistan'. Chohan who has been a panelist on Republic TV since 2017- also alleged that Republic TV was a media channel running '100% on Indian RAW (Research and Analysis Wing)' agenda - the classified defence wing of the Indian government.

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"There is a channel called Republic which has Major Gaurav Arya - a defamed, third class, useless, retd. Major - who is also a director of RAW. He is filled with venom against Pakistan. He portrays himself as a great Parab Khan, but is not even a fraction of it. I have slammed him in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 on TV channels. But since I became a minister, I stopped going to his shows for past 2-3 years. Because the media acts 100% on the agenda of Indian RAW - specifically Republic TV - which is Indian RAW's own TV," he said.

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Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) issued an open challenge

Responding to Chohan's jibe, Retd Major Gaurav Arya issued an open challenge to debate him one-on-one. He said, "You say that we reduce your volume as 8-10 people come on the screens of Republic. I give you an open challenge to you, let there be a one-on-one debate between you and me, with the volume controls in your hand. Entire India and entire Pakistan will see that debate. You have a great wish to hunt a lion? Come, I await you."

READ | Pakistan Minister Slams Republic & Major Gaurav Arya; Gets 'one-on-one' Debate Challenge