MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Anchorperson Kashmir Digital Mujtaba Butt on Tuesday sent a Rs500 million defamation notice to core member Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) Shaukat Nawaz Mir for filing an untrue application.
The defamation notice stated that Shaukat Nawaz filed a “baseless, frivolous, malicious, and untrue application” against Mujataba Butt at the Police Civil Secretariat, Muzaffarabad.
“The sole purpose of [the application] was to harass and defame my [client] and damage his professional and social reputation,” the notice, sent by GM Awam Law Associates on behalf of Mujtaba Butt, stated.
The notice further added, “Despite being a public figure [Sahukat Nawaz Mir], you, ignoring journalistic principles and regulations, maliciously attributed the personal opinions of a guest participating in the program to my client [Mujtaba Butt], even though there was a clear disclaimer at the beginning of the program that the guest’s comments do not represent the institution or the host.”
It added that you targeted the plaintiff based on malice, prejudice, and personal grudge, despite knowing that all the allegations against you were made by the guest participating in the program.
Moreover, the legal notice mentioned that under your [Mir] instigation and patronage, Mujtaba Butt was threatened with serious consequences through various fake social media accounts.
“Verbal abuse and flattery were used against my client, and he was subjected to continuous mental anguish, fear, and pressure, for which you are fully responsible,” the notice reads.
In addition, it added that Shaukat Nawaz Mir filed an application with dozens of influential people with the clear purpose of “intimidating my client and putting him under pressure and endangering his life and property, which is a serious, illegal, and impeachable act.”
‘Criminal intimidation and mental torture’
The claimant further said that the above actions “not only fall under the category of defamation” but also amount to “criminal intimidation and mental torture”, which have caused irreparable damage to my client’s personal, family, and professional reputation.
“My client is a respectable, professional journalist and belongs to a respectable family, while your illegal, immoral, and malicious actions have not only affected his reputation but have also posed real threats to his life and property,” the notice stated.
