PML-N's UK leader sues YouTuber Adil Raja, others for defamation

LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader in the UK Nasir Butt on Saturday started defamation cases against several people over false allegations made against him for leading the alleged murder conspiracy of journalist Arshad Sharif and a gun attack on the former premier Imran Khan.

Addressing a press conference here, Butt announced that he had started legal action against Syed Tasnim Haider, his solicitor Mahtab Anwar Aziz, Tariq Mahmood, businessman Liaquat Malik, YouTuber Major (retd) Adil Raja and five others from the media.

PML-N leader said he was suing eight people in total and would go after a few more who aired interviews of Tasnim Haider in the UK and Canada.

Butt also announced that his lawyers have already sent defamation legal letters to Tasnim Haider and others for being involved in a conspiracy against him by linking him falsely with the murder plot of Arshad Sharif and an attack on Imran Khan.

It should be highlighted that Pakistan's prominent journalist Arshad Sharif was gunned down in Kenya on October 23 last year. Next month in the same year, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was also attacked during a march in Wazirabad. 

Last week, Scotland Yard confirmed it has not started any investigation into Nasir Butt, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz over complaints made to the police by Tasnim Haider and his solicitor Mahtab Aziz. 

Butt told the journalists: "The London police have made it clear that it looked into the evidence provided by Tasnim Haider and didn't find it credible therefore no investigation was launched," adding "the police have said the evidence provided is not sufficient and there are no realistic prospects of a conviction."

On November 20 last year, Tasnim Haider addressed a press conference at the office of Mahtab Aziz, accompanied by businessman Liaquat Mahmood, where he made serious allegations against Nasir Butt. 

Tasnim Haider alleged that Nasir Butt had asked him to arrange shooters in Wazirabad to attack Imran Khan, claiming "Nasir Butt was behind the killing of Arshad Sharif in Kenya nearly four months ago." 

Tasnim Haider went on with the allegations that Arshad Sharif's laptop and other belongings were in the control of Nasir Butt in London and that Nasir Butt also showed him a video where Arshad Sharif was being tortured. 

Two weeks before that, Mahtab Aziz had made a complaint against Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif at the Charing Police Station linking them with the attack on Imran Khan and said there was a witness who was involved in the conspiracy. 

Two weeks later he said that Tasnim Haider has come forward as a witness who was involved in making the murder plan in July on the Eid day at Hassan Nawaz Sharif's office with Nawaz Sharif and seven other PML-N supporters.

Butt said that he had launched a defamation action through his lawyers against Tasnim Haider and co-conspirators who had defamed him in a deliberate plan to divert attention from the real murderers of Arshad Sharif.

PML-N leader stated Arshad Sharif's family and Imran Khan didn't take the accusations of Tasnim Haider and co-conspirators seriously because they knew that Tasnim Haider and his supporters in media had lied to divert attention from the real killers and conspirators involved in the killing of Arshad Sharif. 

Those media persons in the UK who aired defamatory interviews of Tasnim Haider and helped him in making false allegations have also been sued, Butt remarked.