Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan wins defamation case in UK high court


Team Udayavani, Nov 13, 2019, 1:07 PM IST

London: 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.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Drugs worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru, five arrested

Siddaramaiah urges Nirmala Sitharaman to address NABARD’s loan cuts to farmers

Karnataka HC denies anticipatory bail to Prajwal Revanna in sexual harassment case

Delhi court stays defamation case against CM Atishi

Awards don’t create value for independent films in India: Manoj Bajpayee

Public Alert: Cyber fraudsters impersonating traffic police to demand fines

UP: 25 people booked for attacking civic officials for encroachment removal

Related Articles More

Bomb disposal squad tackles ‘security incident’ at UK’s Gatwick Airport

Baku climate talks: The ‘X’ factor that could determine future of Global South

India-US ties have strong foundation: White House confident in navigating crisis over Adani bribery charges

PM Modi leaves for home after concluding three-nation visit

China announces new policy measures to protect its exports from Trump’s new tariff threat

MUST WATCH

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar

Rose Cultivation

Geethotsava

Naxal Operation


Latest Additions

Air pollution: SC flags Delhi govt’s failure to implement GRAP-4 curbs on entry of trucks

Drugs worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru, five arrested

Siddaramaiah urges Nirmala Sitharaman to address NABARD’s loan cuts to farmers

Satwik-Chirag enter semifinals, Lakshya loses to Antonsen in China Masters

BJP stages protest against Congress govt in Karnataka over Waqf properties row

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.