News
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
SAFMA sends defamation notice to TV channel
LAHORE: The South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) has sent defamation notices to Dunya TV channel, its officials, anchor Mehr Bukhari and analyst Zaid Hamid over malicious accusations made in a show, Crossfire.
Sent by SAFMA Secretary General Imtiaz Alam and SAFMA Punjab President Anjum Rashid through senior advocate Abid Hasan Minto, the legal notices under Section 8 of Defamation Ordinance 2002 quoted the “defamatory and inflammatory remarks” Zaid Hamid made in the Crossfire programme, hosted by Mehr Bukhari, aired on August 16 and 17 2011, and repeated on August 17 and 18.
The remarks have caused resentment among leading media persons and civil society. SAFMA’s branches in other provinces will also issue libel notices. “If Hamid, SAFMA said, has committed extreme defamation to incite public sentiment against SAFMA and its thousands of members, Bukhari, the Crossfire team, and the TV management had intentionally tried to malign the media body and its leaders by allowing such a provocative and damaging statement.”
“By representing through your conduct, gestures and words that you promoted and supplemented the unfounded, false, baseless and defamatory remarks of Hamid against SAFMA, you have caused an irreparable harm to my clients and furthered his accusations against a worthy media body that is recognised by SAARC for its good work as its associated body,” notices to Dunya TV officials said. The notices sought “an unequivocal apology” from Dunya TV management and anchor Mehr Bukhari. The notices asked the channel to “invite Hamid back to the show in which the aforesaid apology and categorical denial is required to be issued within the next week and allow
him the opportunity to advance his apology.”
“A separate notice is being sent to him by us and if he ignored the same or your invitation, it shall be at his peril.”
“The Rs 100 million damages, which SAFMA sought to be paid within seven days, will be spent on media education and promotion of media ethics,” the notices said.
“If the respondents; analyst Zaid Hamid, anchor Mehr Bukhari, Dunya TV CEO Mian Amer Mahmood, COO Naveed Kashif, Senior Executive Producer Karamullah Ghumro, Executive Editor Habib Akram, Senior Producer Syed Imran Shafqat and Producer Nadia Khaliq fail to respond to the notices, SAFMA will initiate civil and criminal proceedings against them,” the notices said. pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk