PHC upholds verdict in defamation case

NOWSHERA: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday upheld the decision of district and sessions judge in a defamation case filed by the Nowshera Press Club former president Mushtaq Paracha.

The PHC single bench of Justice Shakil Ahmad upheld the verdict of District and Sessions Judge, Nowshera, Zaiba Rashid, and ordered the convicts to pay a total of Rs0.7 million fine in defamation to the senior journalist.

The convicts — Rahim Khan, Bacha Khan and Gul Samar Shah, who were running a Facebook account titled Awaz-i-Haq — had petitioned the PHC against the verdict of district and sessions judge, Nowshera.

Senior lawyer Ziaur Rahman was the counsel for Mushtaq Paracha while lawyers Shahid Riaz Burki and Tariq Kamal represented the convicts. The Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing had conducted a probe against the three persons for defamation and insulting language against Nowshera Press Club’s then president Mushtaq Paracha.