Mirza slaps Rs500m defamation suit on Arbab

Saturday, September 20, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza has sued former Chief Minister Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim for making baseless allegations against him in print and electronic media. Filing a Rs500 million defamation lawsuit in the Sindh High Court, Mirza stated that the defendant issued baseless statements in the print and electronic media against him which had seriously damaged his reputation as he is a provincial minister and a respectable politician. Plaintiff’s counsel Bashir Ahmed Khan said that the defendant had been a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on or around 2002, but he was not given a party ticket in the 2002 general election and the same was given to Dr Fahmida Mirza, wife of the plaintiff, adding, the defendant left the ranks of PPP and joined the rival PML(Q) for his own benefit. He submitted that, after the defendant became the chief minister Sindh, several raids were conducted at his residences in Karachi and Badin on the instructions of the defendant to harass him and create terror among his family members. After the February 18 elections, he said, the defendant started feeling insecure due to his past dealing with his opponents, including the plaintiff, and issued a volley of baseless allegations against him. The counsel said that the defendant had alleged that his client wanted to kill him and he had paid thousands of US dollars to assassins and this statement was widely published in the media to defame the plaintiff. He said that the plaintiff’s wife is also the Speaker of National Assembly and is having to face such unwanted allegations and defamatory remarks, thus causing their family non-pecuniary and pecuniary loss. The counsel said that baseless allegations issued by the defendant to the media were without cogent proof and only aimed at defaming and causing detrimental effect to the plaintiff for which the defendant was personally liable. The court was prayed to issue a decree in the sum of Rs500 million and restrain the defendant from issuing any statement against the plaintiff in the media. Judgment reserved: Judicial Magistrate Khawaja Ashraf Hussain has reserved judgment in a robbery case of 100 tola gold from a shop of ARY Jeweler at Mansfield Street on April 29 till the next hearing. A police team of special investigation branch of the Jamshed Quarters police station arrested two accused Salahuddin and Umer Naseem on August 24 from the Sachal area for their alleged involvement in the robbery. SSP South submitted an application through Investigation Officer (IO), Agha Mashooq Ali, requesting that both the accused be released as the investigation branch did not recover gold from their possession. During the investigation it was disclosed that the gold was theft by one, Mohammed Deedar Hussain, who was working in the ARY jeweler shop.