Shahbaz ‘not open’ to out-of-court settlement of defamation suit: reports

LONDON/LAHORE: Counsel for Daily Mail, a British tabloid, failed to woo former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to settle his defamation suit against the publication out of court, reports citing sources claimed on Tuesday.

A conditional offer to publish an “explanation” of the story was rejected by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president who sought damage compensation, an apology and an explanation, and withdrawal of the news.

However, David Rose, the reporter who filed the article, dismissed reports of an out-of-court settlement.

The publication has two weeks to submit its evidence to the court.

In July 2019, Mail on Sunday published a story about alleged embezzlement of earthquake funds provided by the now-defunct Department for International Development (DFID) for the rehabilitation of the victims, making a case against then-chief minister Shehbaz.

In January last year, Shehbaz filed a defamation suit against the newspaper, the publication, its parent Mail Online, and Rose in the High Court of Justice, London for the publishing the “gravely defamatory” story.

Must Read

Nawaz Sharif IT City: A Golden Opportunity for Global Investors

In a strategic move that signals a new dawn for technology in Pakistan, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has officially greenlit...

Measles in Sindh