Jang Group serves Rs500m notice on Maulana Fazlur Rehman

News Desk

KARACHI: The Jang Group of Publications on Friday served a Rs 500 million legal notice on Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the JUI, asking him to withdraw the false and baseless allegations levelled against the group after the publication of the GHQ plots story and tender an unconditional apology within 10 days.

The notice was served after the JUI leader levelled several allegations against the Jang Group, and also served a legal notice, claiming that the news report filed by Mr Ansar Abbasi that the JUI had been allotted several plots of land by the GHQ shortly before General Musharraf had promised to take off his uniform was wrong.

The notice gave the facts of the story in detail and said the Jang Group had tried in every way to accommodate the viewpoint of the JUI leader and had provided every opportunity to clarify its position although the Group had solid proofs of the fact that lands in DI Khan had been allotted to the JUI nominees.

The notice stated that the ISPR had also confirmed that the said lands had been allotted to the nominees of the JUI at the time reported by the Jang Group, and fact confirmed that before General Musharraf could take off his uniform, the JUI had been allotted lands, which was obviously seen as something unusual.

The legal notice took note of the fact that instead of refuting the contents of the report with solid evidence and cogent justification, the JUI leader had raised hue and cry against the reporter as well as the management of the newspaper.

On Nov 17, 2008, the notice recalled, the JUI leader in a TV interview on the ARY One World levelled false, highly frivolous and disparaging allegations against the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group, while escaping from appearing on the Geo TV to explain the facts stated in the report by Ansar Abbasi.

“The land scam is based on truth against you and neither my client have received any alleged monetary consideration from any person nor there was any bad or ulterior motives against you. Similarly, on your incitement and instigation, your party persons namely Senator Allama Muhammad Soomro, General Secretary, JUI-F, Sindh, Maulana Abdul Haq Mehar and Maulana Obaidullah Bhutto, collectively issued serious threats of dire consequences to my clients, which were published in a news report in daily Khabrain on November, 12, 2008.

“The notice said Mr Ansar Abbasi is an honest person and a staunch Muslim, but out of malice, vendetta and vengeance, you (Mr Abdul Wasay) have called him a person of Jewish lobby. According to your statement published in newspapers, including The News, you have raised fake and vexatious allegations that the intelligence outfits and the Jewish lobby jointly unleashed false propaganda against Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman about the allotment of land and journalist Ansar Abbasi is playing for a lobby is highly derogatory, defamatory and libelous to my client.

“Neither my client had contributed the news report as under the instructions of any person nor he has any contact or association of alleged Jewish lobby.”

Addressing Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi of JUI, the notice said you have also raised false and frivolous allegations against my client, Jang Group and GEO TV Network which have also been published in newspapers including Daily Jang, Karachi. In your false statement you have raised allegations that a newspaper and private TV channel are playing role of agent of Jews in Pakistan. You have also raised a frivolous allegation that in consideration of contributing and publishing land scam against Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman, monetary gain has also been received by my clients.

It is matter of record that my client, Jang Group and GEO TV are all fair and neutral in their professional duties /obligations. They also know the limit and boundary of freedom of press and expression and in the same spirit, they also respect the freedom of expression of the others. GEO TV repeatedly aired an invitation to Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to attend Capital Talk and give his point of view, if he has any reservation against the news reports but he avoided to attend the programme.

“In view of the above, you are called upon through the medium of this legal notice to immediately withdraw all false allegations publicly and tender unconditional apology to my clients within ten days and further be desist and refrained from raising false aspersions against my clients, failing which, my clients shall be constrained to institute and initiate legal proceedings against you in the competent court of law for the recovery of damages of Rs.500 million with other ancillary and incidental relief,” the notice said.