Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has sent Rs 1 billion legal notice to ‘BOL news channel’ and anchor Dr Shahid Masood for airing/anchoring a malicious programme to defame him.
Anchor Dr Shahid Masood hosted a programme titled “Live with Dr Shahid Masood” on January 24, 2017 at 8:05pm on BOL channel and passed conjecture and defamatory statements to damage the finance minister’s personality and character. He made a completely false statement hinting to an alleged meeting between finance minister and Rawalpindi (GHQ), whereas, no such meeting had taken place at all. The story was utterly false and absolutely fictitious. The anchor’s fabrication had the malicious intent to defame and disgrace the minister.
In response to this slanderous and defamatory programme, the finance minister has decided to take a legal action against the anchor who is known for fabrication and foul mouthing as well as the TV channel for airing and repeat airing of the said broadcast.
The legal notice sent to the channel and anchor under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002 demands to publish a comprehensive and proper apology and retraction as well as payment of a sum of Rs 1 billion as damages to the minister on account of the defamatory broadcast, otherwise, civil and criminal proceeding will be initiated against the BOL channel and Dr Shahid Masood.
The Finance Minister has also made a complaint to the PEMRA council of complaints requesting the authority to take appropriate legal and necessary action against M/S Labbaik Private (Ltd) and BoL channel for broadcasting defamatory, false and fictitious account of facts against the complainant.