Earlier, interest-free loans were announced for Emiratis whose businesses were affected by the rains, with a grace period of 6 to 12 months
uae5 hours ago
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's former wife, Reham Khan, has won "substantial" damages and received an apology from a Pakistani news channel over defamatory allegations by a government minister during a show last year.
At a hearing in the High Court in London on Monday, Justice Matthew Nicklin was informed about the apology and undisclosed damages agreed between the parties.
Reham Khan, a British national of Pakistani-origin, launched the legal proceedings over a broadcast entitled 'On the Front with Kamran Shahid' on Dunya TV in June 2018, during which she said Sheikh Rasheed, the current Federal Minister of Railways in Pakistan, made very serious and entirely false allegations against her.
"The most serious allegation that he made was to claim that our client had colluded with her ex-husband's political rivals, the Pakistan Muslim League, and accepted a substantial payment from or on behalf of its leader, Mr Shehbaz Sharif, in return for writing her autobiography," said Alex Cochrane from Hamlins LLP, who represented Reham Khan in the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
"Dunya TV has now made a full and unequivocal public apology to our client and it has accepted that she never received any payments from Mr Shehbaz Sharif or anyone in the Pakistan Muslim League for her book. Dunya TV has also given an undertaking not to repeat these false allegations about our client and they have paid her substantial damages and all her legal costs," he said.
The court heard that during the telecast last year, Reham Khan, a journalist and broadcaster, was also likened to a historical Pakistani female figure known as "Budhan Bai", who was a well-known courtesan, as part of a series of "slurs" upon her reputation.
Dunya TV, a 24-hour Urdu language news and current affairs television channel which has a licence to broadcast in the UK, said that it accepts that the allegations made by the guest commentator, Sheikh Rasheed, were "wholly untrue".
"The Defendant (Dunya News Limited) accepts that there was and is no truth in the allegations advanced during the broadcast and is happy to set the record straight and apologise to the Claimant (Reham)," notes the court order.
Reham Khan had also complained to the UK's media watchdog, the Office of Communications (OFCOM), in the wake of the broadcast last year. In February this year, that complaint had been upheld by OFCOM.
At the conclusion of her legal battle, the mediaperson whose controversial memoir titled ''Reham Khan'' made references to her marriage to Imran Khan before their divorce in 2015, said she felt "fully vindicated".
She said in a statement: "I am glad that justice has finally prevailed. It took me a long legal battle to prove my innocence and the fact that I was victimised and defamed by Dunya and several other news channels for business and political gains".
"It''s hurtful that sections of Pakistani media and politicians linked with PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf) made false allegations knowing well that these allegations lacked any truth. I hope that my victory and vindication serves as a catalyst for ethical journalism and honest politics in Pakistan.
Earlier, interest-free loans were announced for Emiratis whose businesses were affected by the rains, with a grace period of 6 to 12 months
uae5 hours ago
Following a $3 per barrel average global price increase in March, petrol prices for April increased by 12 fils per litre in the UAE
uae5 hours ago
Annual rents in Dubai are usually paid in two, four or six instalments via post-dated cheques
business5 hours ago
NCM official says May 2-3 is identified as the ‘peak’ of the situation
weather5 hours ago
PSG are still involved in the Champions League in what could turn out to be the club's finest ever season
football10 hours ago
World number three Alcaraz, 20, missed a month prior to Madrid with a forearm issue
tennis10 hours ago
It was Chennai's fifth win from nine matches as they moved to third place in the points table with 10 points
cricket11 hours ago
Earlier, Arsenal held on for a pulsating 3-2 win over arch rivals Tottenham
football12 hours ago