ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN : Additional and Sessions Judge Maqsood Ahmed Qureshi acquittal of senior journalist Nadir Baloch in a defamation and prosecution cases after a four-year of legal battle.
The judge delivered the verdict, exonerating Baloch after four years of litigation. The court dismissed both cases, fully acquitting Nadir Baloch, who also works as producer at HUM News.
The case against Nadir Baloch stemmed from a vlog he recorded on April 22, 2020, regarding the repossession of the Varan bus depot in Rawalpindi by Uzma Gul, the former chairperson of Varan Tours, whoe is also the daughter of former ISI chief Gen (retd) Hameed Gul.
Following the vlog, Uzma Gul, had filed defamation and prosecution cases against Nadir Baloch.
Uzma Gul had obtained on the General Bus Stand’s land from the Punjab government in 2000 after an ‘agreement’, and she operated the intercity bus service under the name Varan Bus.
The journalist, having had documents, had identified a host of lacunas in the agreement and the alleged violations on the part of the bus operator.
The bus service between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi was closed down in February 2005 after consecutive fatal incidents and protests by the public against the bus operators.
Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) has welcomed the acquittal of senior journalist Nadir Baloch in a defamation and prosecution cases after a four-year of legal battle.
RIUJ President Tariq Ali Virk, along with other office bearers, lauded the court’s decision, saying that the trend of filing baseless cases against journalists by influential individuals must come to an end.
The RIUJ highlighted the importance of safeguarding press freedom and ensuring journalists can carry out their work without fear of legal intimidation or harassment.
