JournalismPakistan.com | Published 4 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
LONDON—PMLN leader Nasir Butt has won a defamation case against New Vision Television (NVTV), broadcaster of ARY News in the UK.
"ARY's NVTV has apologised to me at the UK High Court in my defamation case, paid me damages/legal costs over lies published against me after I filmed Judge Arshed Malik confessing that Nawaz Sharif was innocent but he was blackmailed to convict him," Butt tweeted while dedicating the achievement to his party leader.
The ARY broadcaster had called him a "killer, organised criminal, blackmailer, and gangster" soon after Maryam Nawaz Sharif released Judge Arshed Malik's video carrying a confession that he was "blackmailed to convict Nawaz Sharif."
Butt, in response, had sued the news channel in the London High Court over allegations made on the TV channel by the then Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan; allegations made in Program "Sawal Yeh Hai," and allegations made by PTI's Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan.
In an apology submitted at the London High Court to conclude the case with Butt, the NVTV stated: "On 6 July 2019, New Vision television broadcast a number of programmes which contained reports that Nasir Mehmood, who is more commonly known as Nasir Butt, is a murderer, an organised criminal and important member of a drugs cartel who has fled from justice in Pakistan."
"On 7 July 2019, New Vision television broadcast a programme which contained a report that Nasir Butt is an organised criminal," the channel said.
"On 14 July 2019, New Vision television broadcast a programme which contained comments from The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan that Nasir Butt had fled from justice in Pakistan."
"Nasir Butt has informed us, and we are prepared to accept, that he is not a murderer, he is not an organised criminal and not a member of a drugs cartel, and he has not fled from justice in Pakistan," the channel said.
"We apologise to Nasir Butt for the distress, upset and embarrassment which these broadcasts have caused him. We have agreed to pay Mr Nasir Butt damages for libel and his legal costs," the ARY broadcaster stated.
Photo: Twitter (@nasirbuttuk)
November 07, 2025: Russia accuses Pakistanâs Frontier Post of anti-Russia bias; the paper defends press freedom and independence. A diplomatic clash over media narratives.
November 07, 2025: Veteran journalist Javed Chaudhry bids farewell to Express News after 18 years on Kal Tak, marking the end of an era in Pakistani television journalism.
November 06, 2025: Information Minister Attaullah Tararâs job offer to Nukta staff draws criticism as hundreds of journalists across Pakistan face layoffs, salary delays, and job insecurity.
November 06, 2025: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announces jobs for 37 laid-off Nukta employees, saying they will be placed at digital platforms within 48 hours amid growing media uncertainty.
November 05, 2025: PTIâs Faisal Chaudhryâs witty reply to Gharidah Farooqi on GTVâs âG for Gharidahâ goes viral as a clip from their debate over the 27th Amendment sparks reactions online.
November 05, 2025: Digital platform Nukta lays off 37 employees in Pakistan, including journalists and producers, highlighting the financial struggles facing new media ventures in a shrinking job market.
November 04, 2025: Talat Hussain denies airing the viral clip showing Sher Afzal Marwatâs vulgar remark, saying it was not part of his Samaa TV show.
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistanâs darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
November 07, 2025 UN and rights groups warn of escalating media repression in Myanmar, citing arrests, censorship, and digital surveillance that threaten to erase independent journalism.
November 07, 2025 Iran has intensified online censorship, blocking independent news sites and social channels, sparking protests from journalist groups over the growing suppression of press freedom.
November 07, 2025 Six Turkish journalists have been summoned over coverage of opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, raising fresh concerns about press freedom and political repression in Turkey.
November 07, 2025 Over 285 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023, exposing a severe impunity crisis and raising calls for global action to protect press freedom.
November 07, 2025 Arab states are tightening digital content laws, with new regulations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt raising fresh concerns about media freedom and online expression.