Case Update Status

No one followed up this case, No FIR filed, No case in court.

Summary of Case

"On 25 Jan, 2020 Senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen sent out defamation notices worth Rs1 billion each to anchorpersons Shahzeb Khanzada and Waseem Badami for making ""false imputations"" in their news programmes that have or are likely to cause ""serious harm and injury to his reputation"".

According to the notice sent to him, Khanzada in his programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, which aired on Geo News on January 21, had given the impression that Tareen was part of a ""sugar mafia"" and was ""collusively involved or complicit in causing artificial inflation"" of refined sugar across the country.

Furthermore, the notice said, Khanzada had suggested that Tareen was ""managing or deciding"" the federal and provincial governments' policy pertaining to the production, sales, import or export of refined sugar which had led to an increase in the commodity's price. It was also implied that Tareen's interest in the sugar industry was ""obstructing the due regulation of sugar mills and the price of sugar"" by authorities.

The notice pointed out that Tareen was not a part of the federal or provincial governments and therefore, cannot influence the policy-making process. It also insisted that the PTI leader had ""no nexus with or any authority over regulatory institutions"" such as the Competition Commission of Pakistan. Khanzada was addressing the rising sugar prices in his programme and had said that Tareen, ""who is looking at matters of the import and export of agricultural products, owns sugar mills"".

In a separate notice sent to Badami, Tareen took exception to being referred to as ""corrupt"" in the anchorperson's show 11th Hour, aired on ARY News on January 23. According to the notice, Badami had offered ""no proof or evidence of the alleged corruption of or corrupt practice(s)"" against Tareen.

In his programme, Badami, while talking about Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2019 report, had said that the prime minister had surrounded himself with people who had been accused of corruption.

In both the notices, Tareen complained that Khanzada and Badami had not sought his response to the ""highly malicious, defamatory and damaging"" statements.

Terming Khanzada and Badami's statements as ""unfounded and concocted"", Tareen's counsel demanded that the anchorpersons withdraw their ""defamatory imputations"", tender a ""proper public apology"" in their respective programmes as well as ""publish a contradiction of the said defamatory statement(s)"". The notices warned that if the anchorpersons did not take the above measures, legal proceedings would be initiated against both of them for damages amounting to Rs1bn each under the Defamation Ordinance, 2002.

Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada, in reply to the Rs1 billion defamation notice sent to him by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen, said he stands by the statements made in his television programme which he claimed were substantiated by documents and news reports.

Speaking to PPF Mr. Rana Jawad Director News (DN) Geo TV said that there is no development in a case as it was just a notice no one from anchorpersons or Jahangir Tareen followed this matter."

Category of Incident

Defamation

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: 0209 -Defamation or insult

ICCS Group: 02099-Other defamation or insult

ICCS Class: N/A

ICCS Crime: Defamation or insult

Reported By

Dawn

Date of incident

25

Month

January

Year

2020

Name of affected person

Waseem Badami

Other affected persons

Shahzaib Khanzada

Name of affected organization

ARY News

Other affected organizations

Geo News

Action by

Jahangeer Tareen

City

Karachi

Province

Sindh

Designation

Anchor

Professional category

Journalist

Age of victim

Waseem Badami: 36 Years, Shahzaib khanzada: 34 Years

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date compensation paid by others: No compensation announced

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: No

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: No FIR registered

Court where case was presented: Case was not presented in court

Name of prosecuting lawyer: Case was not presented in court

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: Case was not presented in court

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

N/A

APNS

CPNE

PBA

Not Required

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

N/A

Employer organization

Director News (DN) of Geo News Rana Jawad told Puff that no further action was taken in this matter however, Shahzaib in his show cleared his point.

Press Club Status

Press club 1: N/A

Press club 2:

Press club 3: