Daily Mail took 3 years to file defence in PM Shehbaz defamation case before apology

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December 10, 2022

LONDON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has scored a huge defamation victory at the London High Court against Associated Newspapers Ltd (publishers of Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday) over an article published by reporter David Rose.

The court records show that the newspaper took nine extensions to file a defence in support of its story which was published on the basis that the paper and the reporter have all the evidence already in their possession.

When Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday published the article on 19 July 2019, they claimed they were publishing the article based on complete evidence of corruption.

However, later on, the paper told the court it was looking for evidence and needed time to find and file the evidence to prove PM Shehbaz and his son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf stole the money of British taxpayers from the Department For International Development (DFID) aid sent to Pakistan in 2006 to help victims of the devastating earthquake.

Court papers show that Daily Mail delayed the filing of its defence for over a year citing the security situation in Pakistan and the inability of its team to travel to Pakistan due to COVID-19 restrictions.

It was around the time when courts and officers were functioning through online means and obtaining material from Pakistan through the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) was not a problem as it was the ARU, headed by Shahzad Akbar, that was behind the original article in papers published by the ANL.

PM Shehbaz won an early victory in February 2021 when Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled that David Rose’s Mail on Sunday’s article carried the highest level of defamatory meaning for both PM Shehbaz and Yousaf.

Court papers show that it took Daily Mail nearly three years to file a defence of Rose’s article.

The defence was filed in February 2022 and when the defence was served in the same month, the Daily Mail made it clear it didn’t seek to defend the DFID allegations for which the Daily Mail has now apologised and deleted the whole article.

This was in marked contrast to the position Daily Mail had taken since the article was published nearly three years ago in July 2019.

Here is a full timeline of what happened in the case that dominated Pakistani politics for over four years.

The first order given by Master Thornett that extended the time for Daily Mail to submit its defence was on May 21, 2021.

Later, the orders were given on eight other dates — July 14, 2021, Aug 2, Sept 21, Oct 5, Nov 25, Feb 2, 2022, Feb 22 and March 8, 2022.

Daily Mail published “Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims, asks DAVID ROSE” on 13 and 14 July 2019 – when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power.

PM Shehbaz issued a claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd through Carter Ruck on January 1, 2022, and held a press conference at the firm’s office with his lawyers.

PM Shehbaz vowed he would take the paper to the court and will win an apology as he also sought the withdrawal of all allegations. The acknowledgement of service was filed on February 17, 2020, at the court.

Justice Nicklin gave the first order on April 20, 2020, for the listing hearing window on April 21, 2020, to July 31, 2020.

Justice Nicklin gave the second order on May 7, 2020, extending deadlines.

The justice gave the first order on October 20, 2020, joining the claims of PM Shehbaz and his son-in-law Yousaf.

Justice Nicklin gave another order on January 28, 2021, regarding the preliminary issue trial.

He gave a judgement and order on February 5, 2021. The judge ruled at the meaning hearing at the London High Court in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz and his son-in-law.

Justice Nicklin ruled that Mail on Sunday’s article carried the highest level of defamatory meaning for both — Shehbaz and Yousaf.

He gave the order on February 18, 2021, regarding various deadlines.

The Daily Mail filed the defence on March 15, 2022.

Master Thornett gave the order for filing the defence on March 17, 2022. He then gave the orders for extending the time of filing the defence on June 23 and September 20, 2022.

After March 2022, Daily Mail and PM Shehbaz entered into negotiations to settle the case and it became clear to the premier’s legal team that Mail newspaper will apologise and remove the article on his terms.

Justice Nicklin gave an order on September 26, 2022, and set a joint case management conference listed for November 9.

It was three days before this hearing that PM Shahbaz made a tactical move and withdrew his stay application in favour of a full trial.

The court, as per rules, was not informed that Daily Mail’s lawyers have been in negotiations with PM Shahbaz’s lawyers for several months behind the scenes, offering to apologise.

The prime minister was advised by his legal team that there was no point in filing further documents as the paper had already agreed to apologise and remove the defamatory and false article.

Daily Mail publishers and PM Shehbaz’s lawyers signed an agreement of settlement with Tomlin Order in the second week of December 2022 after which Daily Mail removed the defamatory article and apologised to the prime minister and his son-in-law.

The ANL has promised it will never repeat these false allegations at any forum and has already worked with Google to remove all articles carrying Daily Mail’s article.

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CDA seals Azam Swati’s farmhouse in Islamabad

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Sara Maqsood

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December 10, 2022

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sealed a farmhouse owned by incarcerated PTI Senator Azam Swati for illegal construction in the capital city.

The CDA said the action had been taken after the politican defied multiple show-cause notices and a stay order was removed by a court in Islamabad. It said show-cause notices had been served on owners of 70 other farmhouses for violating the building by-laws.

Four notices were sent to Azam Swati in last six years for illegally constructing basement and other violations but he did not implement the rules, it said, adding that the final notice was sent to him on Nov 16. Azam Swati was asked to demolish the illegal constructions or the CDA will take action.

Authorities has sealed total four farmhouses in the capital city for not complying with the laws, the CDA said.

Senator Azam Swati had also taken up the matter in a standing committee of the Senate. When report was submitted by the CDA, the committee found that the case is pending in a court, subsequently it excused from taking any action.

After the court removed a stay order gotten by Ms Swati, the CDA’s building control cell alongwith city administration committee sealed the farmhouses.

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Russia offers crude oil on discount to Pakistan, says minister

By

Palwasha Mustafa

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December 5, 2022

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Petroleum Musaddik Malik has said that Russia had agreed to provide crude oil to Pakistan at discounted price but did not reveal the exact discount percentage.

Malik at a media talk in Islamabad described the recent tour to Moscow “more successful than expectations”. In late November, the petroleum minister led a Pakistani delegation to Russia to finalise agreement for oil import as the South Asian country scrambles to control skyrocketing fuel prices in the country.

His statement comes after reports suggested that Russia had refused to provide 30-40 per cent discount on crude oil to Pakistan.

The minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed to revamp the policies in order to make Pakistan independent in agriculture. “We need to increase the growth rate to seven per cent,” he said. He also lashed out at the previous government of PTI for taking the country’s economy to the dead end.

Last month, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar hoped that Pakistan would succeed in inking the agreement on favourable terms. The country’s finance czar said the US could not stop Pakistan from purchasing the Russian oils.

Addressing a gathering in Dubai on Nov 13, Dar had said Islamabad aimed at signing the import deal with Moscow on terms similar to those agreed by New Delhi.

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Man shoots brother, sister-in-law over trifle

By

TNT Monitoring Desk

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December 5, 2022

SWABI: A man killed his brother and sister-in-law over a trivial issue of dog barking in Topi area of Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Shaukat had a pet dog and his younger brother got vexed over the dog’s barking. The two brothers exchanged harsh words over which the younger one opened fire as a result of which Shaukat and his wife died on the spot. Later, the suspect fled.

A police team responded to an emergency call and later shifted the bodies to hospital and launched investigation.

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LHC summons Asad Umar for ‘scandalous’ speech against judiciary

By

Sara Maqsood

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December 5, 2022

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar to appear before the bench in response to his speech against the courts and judiciary on November 26, the day on which the party called off its long march.

Justice Jawad Hassan of LHC’s Rawalpindi bench heard the petition today which was filed by an additional registrar of the court’s Rawalpindi registry against the PTI leader’s speech against the judiciary.

Rawalpindi deputy commissioner, CPO, and Advocate Faisal Chaudhry — to represent the defendant in the case — appeared before the court.

During the hearing, Justice Hassan remarked that Umar “targeted” the courts and judges in his November 26 speech.

“Asad Umar scandalised the courts in his speech during the November 26 rally and used contemptuous words against the judiciary,” the court remarked.

It said that Umar’s speech will be reviewed first.

“No institution or personality can be made controversial, under Article 14 of the Constitution. The court has the authority to punish under Article 204(B) of the Constitution,” Justice Hassan remarked.

He summoned the PTI leader in person in the court on the next hearing and sought the video transcript of Umar’s speech

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till December 7.

During the November 26 speech at PTI’s long march in Rawalpindi, Umar said that the nation can see that the doors of justice are closed even in the Supreme Court.

“Judges were troubled when they had to change their route [due to road’s blockage],” he said.

The PTI leader talked about Khan’s assassination attempt, saying that the chairman of the biggest party was shot at, however, no FIR was registered.

“The nation does not see justice in this country,” he had said.

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Islamabad court indicts Shahnawaz Amir, Sameena Shah in Sarah Inam murder case

By

Tanzeel Ahmed

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December 5, 2022

ISLAMABAD: District and Sessions Court in Islamabad Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir, the main accused, and his mother Sameena Shah in the Sarah Inam Murder case.

The indictment order was issued by judge Atta Rabbani after he dismissed Sameena’s application seeking to be discharged from the case. The judge had earlier today reserved the verdict on her plea.

Both the accused have pleaded not guilty to the crime, while the court has asked the prosecution to summon the witnesses on December 14.

Shahnawaz’s mother files plea to get discharged from case
When the court took up the case today, it heard Shah’s application requesting it to discharge her from the murder case.

Sameena Shah’s lawyer, Nasir Asghar, told the court that the police wrote in its challan that his client was found at the crime scene but did not mention her involvement.

“When the prosecution’s case is not against her then she should be discharged from the case,” Asghar told the court. He added that the court will have to make its final opinion after looking at the challan.

Shah’s lawyer also told the court that when the police arrived at the crime scene she handed her son to the law enforcement agency.

“The only reason given is that the plaintiff is insisting [on adding her name],” said the lawyer. He added that apart from this there was nothing against his client.

At this point, the court adjourned the hearing after the lawyer of Inam ur Rehman, Sarah’s father, could not reach the court. Once the lawyer arrived, the hearing was resumed.

The lawyer told the court that they agree that when Sarah came to the farmhouse the three of them — the victim and both accused — had dinner together in the evening. He added that it was also mentioned in the police record that Sarah came there after the divorce.

“What happened when these three people sat together that evening?” asked the lawyer. He added that the divorce between the couple happened two days before the murder and the CCTV cameras also stopped working the same day.

The lawyer also told the court that Shah’s counsel had said that the murder happened at 9:00am but the postmortem was suggesting something else.

“According to their information, even if the incident happened at 9:00am, the post-mortem is telling something else,” the lawyer contended.

The DVR has been seized by the police and sent for forensics, the lawyer said. He added that in the investigation it was found that Ayaz Amir, who was discharged, reported the crime to the police.

Sarah Inam, 37, was a Canadian national and a successful economist who worked with Deloitte and USAID at different points of her career. She was married to Shahnawaz for just three months before being murdered.

She had a masters degree from the University of Waterloo and was currently employed in the government sector in the United Arab Emirates, as per friends and family.

Sarah is survived by her father, mother and two elder brothers.

The case
After the incident on September 23, Shahnawaz was detained by the police from a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area for being a suspect in his wife’s murder and later confessed to killing her, saying he “thought” his spouse was having an affair. The couple was married for just three months.

Next day, a trial court approved the arrest warrants of Ayaz Amir and his former wife Sameena Shah, as the two were nominated as suspects by Sarah’s family. Amir was arrested while his former wife later acquired pre-arrest bail.

In the police report registered following the murder, an additional clause of Section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sarah’s uncles — Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Rahim — who have blamed Ayaz Amir and his former wife for their niece’s murder.

The petitioners maintained that Sameena was living at the farmhouse where Sarah was murdered.

However, during a hearing on September 27, an Islamabad court discharged Ayaz Amir from the case citing “no evidence” against him in Sarah’s murder.

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Anti-polio drive targeting 0.4 million children begins in Islamabad

By

Tanzeel Ahmed

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November 27, 2022

ISLAMABAD: Capital administration on Sunday started anti-polio drive targeting over 0.4 million children under the age of five years.

Additional Deputy Commissioner East Usman Ashraf launched the campaign with District Health Officer Zaeem Zia and Director Health Services Dr Iqbal Afridi by administering polio drops to children under five years of age at CDA Health Centre I-8 Markaz.

Sharing his view, the official said polio teams and health workers would administer polio drops house to house in Islamabad.

At least 408,000 children up to five years of age would be administered vaccine against crippling disease. Polio workers will visit also public places, markets, bus stands and other places to immunize young children.

The official directed concerned officials and workers to take all possible measures to immunize the targeted children.

The drive was launched amid rising polio cases in the country. In the ongoing year, more than 20 cases of the contagious disease were reported in North Waziristan.

Earlier, National Polio Lab detected the child-crippling disease virus in sewage water samples collected from five cities, including Peshawar, Swat, Rawalpindi, Bannu, and South Waziristan.

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Court approves two-day physical remand of Senator Azam Swati

By

Admin

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November 27, 2022

ISLAMABAD: A court in Islamabad on Sunday approved Senator Azam Swati’s two-day physical remand after he was presented before the magistrate following his arrest Sunday morning for his controversial tweets against senior military officers.

Magistrate Waqas Ahmed Raja announced the verdict he had reserved after hearing arguments from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Swati’s lawyers. The FIA had requested Swati’s physical remand for eight days but only two days were granted.

During the hearing, the investigating officer informed the court that the senator was arrested as there were some controversial tweets done by him. He added that the FIA seeks to recover the senator’s Twitter account, mobile and other things. “Azam Swati is admitting that he did the tweet,” he added.

The senator also told the court that the statement that was given was in front of everyone.

However, Swati’s counsel Babar Awan contended that the tweets that were done do not meet the sections mentioned in the first information report.

After hearing the arguments the magistrate reserved the verdict in the case.

The PTI leader was arrested once again for speaking against senior military officers early Sunday morning from his farmhouse located in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad.

FIA’s Cybercrime Wing arrested Swati for using foul language for the army chief and other senior military officers.

The case against the senator has been registered on FIA’s Technical Assistant Anis ur Rehman’s complaint. The case has been registered for libel and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.

The senator has been arrested under Sections 500, 501, 505 and 109. He was also arrested under the same provisions the last month.

The FIA, in a letter, informed Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani of Swati’s arrest. The FIR registered against the senator has also been added to the letter.

“After due process and permission from the authorities, Azam Swati was arrested,” FIA says in the letter.

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Doctors, other staff of DHq Hospital demand security

By

Our Correspondent

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November 27, 2022

WANA (WAZIRISTAN): Mamoon Al Rasheed, Health Manager of District Headquarters Hospital, Wana, while addressing the press conference, said that yesterday, a very sad incident took place in the District Headquarters Hospital of Wana Waziristan.

A few people came and beat up the doctors and other staff inside the hospital, and after vandalizing the hospital, the staff were also threatened, he said, adding that due to the incident doctors and other staff are suffering from insecurity some doctors are forced to think that if the same conditions remain, it will be difficult to perform the duties.

MERF NGO has appointed fifteen specialist doctors in the hospital, which were not there before. In the current situation, we have shifted the emergency OPD to a new building, he said, adding that other areas are being worked on rapidly. But if the situation for doctors remains the same, then no doctor will be able to perform duty here, the opined.

Health Manager Wana Hospital while talking to media person has demanded the administration to provide foolproof security to the hospital. About the hospital, he said, that the hospital does not run only by building a good building, but the first condition for the best setup is safety and security. If hospitals and doctors are protected, they can do their best work.

In response to a question, he said that if anyone has reservations about our work, they should come and talk, resolve the issue with mutual consultation and mutual understanding. It will not work if anyone comes and starts assaulting doctors and staff, and vandalizing the hospital, he said.

Humans can make mistakes, if there are mistakes in us, it should be pointed out so that they can be removed. If there are mistakes in the Karamaz khel tribe, then they should correct themselves, Dr Mamoon concluded. By Roshan Khan Wazir

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Six women die as jeep falls into ravine in Neelum valley of AJK

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Our Correspondent

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November 27, 2022

MUZAFFARABAD: Six women died and eight others injured when a jeep plunged into a ravine in Neelum valley area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday.

According to police, a vehicle carrying female voters skidded off the road and plunged into a deep ravine at Chari Morr of Neelum Valley while negotiating a sharp turn.

According to details, rescue workers have rushed eight injured in the accident including driver of the jeep, to CMH hospital for first aid.

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