UK court announces verdict in defamation case filed by AJK PPP’s leaders

LONDON: The High Court of England and Wales has ruled on a defamation case filed by the People’s Party Azad Kashmir President, Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, and AJK Minister Amir Yasin.

In the defamation case, Muhammad Yasin Chaudhry, President of the People’s Party Azad Kashmir, and Amir Yasin, a minister in the government of Azad Kashmir, won the case against journalist Abrar Qureshi.

The court ruled that Qureshi’s posts published on YouTube and Facebook in November 2021 contained false and defamatory statements, which were based on an interview with Chaudhry Muhammad Sabeel.

The statements made serious allegations against the plaintiffs, including blackmail, sexual assault, and corruption, which seriously damaged their reputations, even though they are considered respected public figures in the Pakistani and Kashmiri community in the UK.

The court ruled that the allegations were baseless, and the defendant failed to prove that the statements were made in the public interest. He abandoned his legal defense strategy on the first day of the trial.

The court awarded each plaintiff £130,000 in damages, including additional amounts for defamation and mental anguish. The court also issued an injunction to prevent the defendant from publishing such material in the future.

Furthermore, the court ordered the defendant to publish a summary of the judgment on its social media channels so that the same audience that was affected by the original false material would also be aware of the court’s decision.

The court stressed the importance of responsible journalism and the protection of individual reputations from false accusations.