JournalismPakistan.com
October 22, 2021

ISLAMABAD—The outcome of two libel cases recently decided by courts in England should be edifying for the government—if it chooses to learn from it, Dawn commented in its editorial Libel suits published on Friday.

"The first involved anchorperson Reham Khan's allegations of corruption against PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari which said he was conniving with Prime Minister Imran Khan to sell the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York and buy it back at a lower market price," the paper noted. It added that "The other pertained to the action brought by PML-N leader Ishaq Dar against a private TV channel for airing in the UK accusations against him by accountability 'tsar' Shahzad Akbar."

According to the paper, both complainants stand vindicated, and the opposing parties have been ordered to pay them damages and tender apologies. "Both have accordingly expressed unequivocal regret for "the significant distress, upset and embarrassment" caused by their allegations," it highlighted.

"It is ironic that the PTI government's campaign against 'fake news' is itself based on disinformation," the paper regretted, further highlighting that "...the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) is little more than an attempt to institutionalise censorship so that dissent is erased, unfavourable coverage neatly excised and media outlets compelled to err on the side of caution to such an extent that it renders news gathering a meaningless exercise."

"Certainly, sections of the press and social media are used as a conduit to disseminate fake news. But as the Dar case shows, government functionaries too are equally guilty of the political agenda underlying such efforts," it noted.

"The Defamation Ordinance 2002, a civil statute, is sufficient to ensure proportional protection against reputational damage with exceptions for good faith statements in matters of public interest," the paper concluded emphasizing that libel cases should not remain pending indefinitely like a sword over those exercising their right to free speech.