- Advocate Dogar says JuD chief respected as a deeply religious, devout Muslim
LAHORE: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), sent a Rs100 million defamation notice through his legal team to Foreign Affairs Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif for his remarks at a public gathering in New York earlier this week.
“Don’t blame us for the Haqqanis [Haqqani Network] and don’t blame us for Hafiz Saeeds [referring to the JuD head]. These people were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say goodbye to us because you are nurturing these people,” the minister said while addressing the Asian Society Forum.
The notice, served by Advocate AK Dogar under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance of 2002, stated that Hafiz Saeed was respected as a deeply religious and devout Muslim. The lawyer said that the fundamental rights enshrined in Article 14 stated that the dignity of man was guaranteed by the constitution.
The notice accuses the foreign minister of an “absolute lie and falsehood that Hafiz Saeed is one of those persons who had been the darlings of Americans and had been dining and wining in the White House.” Advocate Dogar said that he has been advised by Hafiz Saeed to inform media that he has never been near the White House, not to speak of wined and dined.
“It is shocking to know that the foreign minister of my country is accusing Hafiz Saeed of taking wine. This is abusive language and can never be used for my client. He is a patriotic Islam loving Muslim following the dictates of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is a defamatory statement punishable under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to five years imprisonment and with [a] fine,” he said.
“Whoever by words either spoken or intended to be read makes any imputation concerning any person so as to harm his reputation is said to defame that person,” said the lawyer while sharing the definition of defamation as under Section 499 of the PPC. “I am constrained to issue this 14-day notice under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002 of the intention of my client to bring an action against you specifying the defamatory matter complained of,” he said.
“Please take notice that my client intends to file a suit for damages to the tune of Rs100m for damaging the reputation of my client not only in Pakistan but all over the world,” the notice read. “Please take notice that apart from the civil remedy, my client has a right to file a criminal complaint against you under Section 500 of the PPC. It goes without saying that you will be responsible for the entire cost of litigation,” he finishes.
Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest at his residence in Lahore earlier this year under Section 11-EEE(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1977, according to an Interior Ministry notification issued at the time. Responding to an appeal from the Lahore High Court, the Home Ministry said that releasing the JuD chief would cause unrest in the province.