Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman wins defamation suit against journalist

A court in Islamabad has ordered a journalist to pay Rs100 million to Editor-in-Chief of Jang/Geo Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman for levelling false allegations against him, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

Announcing the decision in the defamation case, an additional session judge in Islamabad rules against journalist Tayyab Baloch who published a series of concocted, malicious and pernicious allegations in foreign websites against Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman.

Judge Muhammad Adnan also ordered the journalist to pay Rs100 million in damages and also tender an apology to Mir Shakil.

The judge also directed for publication of the apology in a similar manner and with the same prominence as the defamatory contents were disseminated.

The court also directed the journalist to permanently refrain from abusing cyberspace to damage the reputation of Pakistan’s largest media house.

In his outrageous and sinister allegations posted on foreign websites, the journalist had questioned patriotism and professional integrity Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman by accusing them of being pro-India, working on foreign anti-state agenda, working and manipulating for media publicity of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, and controlling media.

The Group and its Editor-in-Chief contended in their case filed under the Defamation Ordinance 2002 that their reputation sustained a heavy blow when prominent politicians, media personalities etc shared these articles with others. They had informed the court that the Jang/Geo Group also sent a legal notice to the British website director Adam Garrie who, after conducting research himself, declared the allegations baseless.

After publication of apology by the British website, Tayyab Baloch started publishing his defamatory articles on a Russian website.

Reporter Ehtisham Kiyani