Babar Ghauri demands apology in UK over ‘defamatory’ article

LONDON: Former federal minister and senior MQM leader Babar Ghauri has demanded apology from a Pakistani newspaper or else he will initiate legal proceedings in the UK.
A daily newspaper made a number of allegations against Babar Ghauri, including that he had fled from Pakistan; that he had bought a business in London and was on the run and so on. Ghauri says that all these allegations were “defamatory, baseless and without any evidence”.
In a letter sent to the paper, which has stake in the UK, Babar Ghauri’s lawyers at AK Law Chambers have written: “We have evidence to prove that the forums used to defame our client contain serious, untrue and highly defamatory statements towards our client, some of which contain malicious falsehood. In doing so, defamatory comments were being communicated to the millions of people throughout the world, posing a serious threat to the reputation of our client and those associated with out client.
“These comments seem designed to damage the reputation of our client in the political arena he is associated with and to divert all legitimate businesses away from our client.”
According to the letter, the defamatory articles were published on 21 July this year.
Under the law of England and Wales, a defamatory statement is one that intends to lower claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of society generally.
The letter has called on the publication to withdraw all allegations or else face defamatory proceedings. Babar Ghauri says in the letter that he is not against “freedom of expression” but will not tolerate lies and defamation being spread about him. He has asked the paper to produce any evidence that he has bought a business in London or he will issue legal claim notice in two weeks.
When contacted, the journalist from London, who had filed the story, said that the matter has already been settled in Pakistan and a clarification was published. He said that he has not received any letter from Babar Ghauri or his lawyers.