JournalismPakistan.com
October 29, 2021

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)