Peshawar : The Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and FATA chapter of South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) filed a legal suit pertained to recovery of RS 100 million damages in District and Session Judge against the management, producers and anchor person of Dunya television and analyst Zaid Hamid.
The District and Session Judge has accepted the civil suit for preliminary hearing and ordered issuing of summons to all respondents for appearing and reply on March two next.
The SAFMA Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and FATA chapter through its President Shamim Shahid filed the legal suit against Management of Dunya television, its anchor person Ms Meher Bokhari and analyst Zaid Hamid.
The Dunya TV on August 16, 2011 last aired views of analyst Zaid Hamid in its Cross Fire program. Ms. Meher Bokhari is anchor person of Cross
Fire whereas Habib Akram Executive Editor, Karam Ullah Ghumar as Senior Executive Producer and Syed Imran Shafqat as its Senior Producer. Both Naveed Kashif Chief Operating Officer and Mr. Amer Mehmood Chief executive were also made parties in the legal suit.
The private TV in its Cross Fire program on august 16 and 18, 2011 last arranged a debate on former Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz
Sharif s speech in a SAFMA function held at Lahore.
The private TV analyst Mr. Zaid Hamid while expressing him in Cross Fire has made allegations against SAFMA and its members.
Zaid Hamid in his remarks said, other issue is that this speech (of Mian Nawaz Sharif) was made from the platform of SAFMA.
SAFMA s background should be understood fully that SAFMA is a RAW-funded organization. The people running SAFMA are directly linked to Bal Thackeray and BJP. And they as a part of the Indian government s policy establishment are promoting their foreign policy which is Indian government s established foreign policy.
He further said, every security analyst in Pakistan knows that the foreign policy agenda of the Indian government, their disinformation war,
psychological war in Pakistan and lies and media penetration are being carried out through SAFMA. Saying these things (Mian Nawaz Sharif s
13th August speech) from SAFMA s platform makes it even more shameful.
Later the program was repeated by Dunya television without any editing on August 17th and 18th 2011 last. Later the SAFMA through legal notices asked for unconditional apology and clarification from all of the concerned respondents.
However, upon failure, the plaintiff has filed a legal suit, pleading for recovery of RS 100 million from each respondent. The district and Session Judge through Additional Session Judge Mr. Kashif Nadeem directed all of the respondents to appear on March 2, next.
