KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab on Saturday served a legal notice on Editor Investigation, The News, Islamabad, Ansar Abbasi under Section 3 (1) of Defamation Ordinance, 2002.
Talking to media persons at the PPP Sindh chapter media cell, she said through her legal notice, she had demanded an unconditional public apology from Ansar Abbasi within 14 days otherwise she would initiate legal proceedings against him for the recovery of Rs200, 000,000 (Rs200 million) as damages. “I am aggrieved person and justice should be provided to me,” she said.
She said in a TV programme, ‘Dunya Today,’ telecast on 10th of May, Ansar Abbasi referring to her allegedly uttered words ‘in ka bus chale to humari gardan utaar dein’, (if it was up to her (Ms Fauzia Wahab), she would slit our throats).
“These words were below the civilisation values and immoral, and tantamount to my insult and insult of my party,” she added.
The PPP leader said the media was independent, but it did not mean that ‘irresponsible statements’ should be uttered. She said she was in politics since last 30 years but not a single FIR had been registered against her on criminal or corruption charges. She said under these conditions, Ansar Abbasi’s words were allegedly an assault on her integrity.
Fauzia Wahab also distributed copies of her legal notice served through her lawyer ‘Mumtaz and Associates’ to media persons on the occasion.
The legal notice said Ansar Abbasi was a ‘senior and respected journalist’ of Pakistan. As such his (Ansar’s) views and comments influence the general populace. That the media has immense power but with this power also come certain responsibility which you (Ansar) have ‘blatantly failed’ to discharge by making a ‘deliberate false statement’, defaming Fauzia Wahab in the eyes of public at large.
The legal notice said Ansar Abbasi’s statement sketched a negative picture of Fauzia Wahab and it was only caused mental torture to her but also her family. Additionally such statement has painted a gruesome picture of her that she was involved in ‘criminal activities’ which was far away from the reality. The statement has injured the reputation of her and also lowered her reputation in the eyes of the general populace.
The notice warned Ansar Abbasi that if he used this notice for making ‘further defamatory remarks’ towards Ms Wahab, the same shall provide an additional cause of action against him, exposing him to exemplary damages.
Ms Wahab avoided a direct reply to a question as to why the PPP was not extending its reconciliation policy to the media.
When a journalist asked as to whether the PPP-led government has launched an assault on independence of media as Sindh Katchi Abadis Minister Rafiq Engineer has also threatened a private TV channel of damages suit.
Rafiq Engineer also present on the occasion replied that the TV channel had allegedly indulged in his ‘character assassination’. He said the TV channel had allegedly telecast that he was involved in ‘land grabbing’ in Hawksbay Scheme-42 and was allegedly ‘selling jobs’ to people in Lyari. He said the TV channel was allegedly ‘harassing and blackmailing’ him.
About summoning of Law minister Babar Awan by the Supreme Court, Fauzia Wahab said the judiciary was independent and her respected it. She said the law minister would appear before it. She said it was ‘strange thing’ that all eyes were focused on ‘one case’, though there were over 14,500 registered cases in the country.
In reply to another question, she said she failed to understand as to why the issue was being created out of the PPP’s core committee. She said the core committee was a ‘consultative body’ and it had no legal status. She said in developed countries, the rulers also depended on their ‘kitchen cabinet’ and tended to make consultations with them. She said the PPP’s core committee was not an unusual thing. About Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s criticism of Interior Minister Rehman Malik, she said the PPP still believed in the reconciliation policy towards the PML-N.
Fauzia Wahab, who is also chairperson of Standing Committee on Finance, said the finance adviser would give briefing to the committee on 21st of May about forthcoming budget. She said they have recommended that a directory comprising names of all taxpayers should be prepared. She opined that the country would not achieve self-reliance until tax culture was not strengthened in the country.
Ansar Abbasi replies: The contents of Fauzia Wahab’s reported legal notice, which I have not yet received, and her subsequent press conference are most puzzling. It appears that on the television programme in question, one of my generalised comments, made in a specific context and that too in the presence of Ms Wahab, has been stretched unnecessarily by the PPP information secretary. I was making a general and sarcastic statement about the attitude of the government/PPP towards certain journalists, who have been receiving threats and death messages from certain members of the PPP and its government. I was in no way implying that Ms Wahab had a criminal record or any personal vendetta against me or intended to harm me personally. Ms Wahab did not react there and then. I believe what she has now said is either her second thoughts or the consequence of someone trying to mislead her. Her latest conclusions are simply far-fetched. What I had stated metaphorically – illustrating the present PPP/government’s hostility towards certain journalists – is seemed to have now been taken in a literal sense. This was not my intention. Therefore the question of defaming her or casting any aspersions on her character simply does not arise.
Source: The News
Date:5/16/2010
