ISLAMABAD: “The Saifullah family neither directly nor indirectly owns the Pheasantry Farm property in England or any of the alleged offshore companies in Jersey and Belize as attributed in the media reports,” reads a legal notice served by the family.
In the notice served on the management of the newspaper and a complaint lodged with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA), the legal counsel for the family has stated that it is disconcerting for the family that the information was disseminated by a section of the press without ever contacting or cross-checking the information from the Saifullah family or making any required effort to verify the veracity of the “preposterous claims”.
The legal notice and the complaint to the PEMRA further stated that the failure by the newspaper group, that carried it as a lead story and subsequently telecast on its TV Channel on March 14, 2018, to discharge due and faithful obligation to ensure responsible and accurate reporting, has exposed the person, property and reputation of the family to a serious risk. Therefore, immediate intervention has been sought to curb the recurrence of such episodes.
Apart from requiring the group of newspapers to tender unconditional apology, the relief sought urges taking immediate notice of such broadcast, and due action against the group of newspapers, including directing it to forthwith cease and desist from broadcast of ‘defamatory material’ and/or information against the family and remove such material from its archives, internet and other sites.
