Jang Group Owner Serves Legal Notice to Bloggers, Demands Rs. 1 Billion As Compensation

Unless you have been living under a rock, chances are that you must have read the story of Shaista Wahidi, a TV host of a morning show on Geo TV, marrying Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, the editor in chief of Jang Group of Newspapers and Group Chairman of Geo TV Network.

This rumor was carried by various Pakistani blogs, origin of which is still unknown, and then story went viral on social media, given the spice it had got in it.

According to Pakium.com Mir Shakeel Ur Rehman, also known as MSR, finally decided to react by giving a strong response in shape of a legal notice that his legal consultant has served to 30+ blogs that had carried the news. Notice also demands Rs. 1 Billion (from each blogger) as compensation for the loss of MSR’s reputation.

Ahmed and Qazi, a law firm based out of Karachi, confirmed ProPakistani that legal notice was served by them on behalf of Mir Shakeel Ur Rehman to over two dozen websites.

A copy of the legal notice is displayed below:

Jang-Geo-group-owner-legal-notice-bloggers

As Google Suggests, reports of Shaista Wahidi marrying Mir Shakeel Ur Rehman are still available online, hinting that bloggers either don’t know the stature of legal notice or they aren’t much concerned over the issue. At the same time we have also seen apologies by select bloggers on the instance.

Ahmed & Qazi said that they are yet to decide about filing the lawsuit against those bloggers who haven’t apologized by removing the story from their websites.

Bloggers must learn the lesson from this episode and they should never copy/paste stories from other websites without verifying facts.

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


  • What a joke, Jang itself is not worth 1 Billion RS that is a pathetic legal notice. Damages are carried out on the basis of actual damages caused there is not even a way you can evaluate the damages what a joke!

  • Beside everything! It’s great and pleasure for me at least that the Head of a Media Group is worried about news on Blog :)

    This is the Power of Blogging!

    Aamir, Thank you for picking the story up!

  • ha, and the owner of Geo and jang is concerned about ‘fake news’. It was time he got taste of his own medicine. May be the blogs can carry a small note deep inside the pages saying that they news was not well founded and that they are sorry for the misquote.

  • Mir Shakeel Ur Rehman Serves Legal Notice to Bloggers for Rs. 1 Billion

    what a nice joke by the way when you are in media or a media person you cant hide your weddings and personal matters you should not do anything which can be highlighted by other media or blogs.
    he will not get a penny from that notice.
    Notice Notice And Notice this was a common word from Punjab CM and know a legal notice to blogger what a pity.

  • but 1 thing i want to say to all bloggers please mention your source in post so you will not have to worry about what you have post but dont copy anything from other blogs.

  • one affected blogger told me that he tried to contact those bloggers who wrote about MSR marriage but bloggers are not replying…
    wysy Aamir Bhai, Whatare your suggestions for bloggers who received this notice..

    and one more thing… Geo ko khud bhi aisi chezon py amal krna chaye… i have noticed dozens of code of ethics violation in Jang newspaper when i was making thesis.

  • بلا تحقیق پگڑیاں اچھالنے والو! جب اپنی پگڑیاں اچھلتی ہیں تو کتنی تکلیف ہوتی ہے نا ۔ ۔ ۔

  • True that specially Bloggers should “never copy/paste stories from other websites without verifying facts.” A good example would be the Linked in Opening office in Pakistan story as well :/

  • I am a blogger and found the same notice “one billon rupees”
    – I have removed the same post. If Geo lawyer pressurize me more than it is easier
    for me to create 100 more blog as anonymous (hosting in Russian servers) than
    they can’t do anything. So Mr. Layer doesn’t
    threat us more otherwise it could be reverse…

  • GREAT and WORSE – at the same moment. Yes, “Great” is that
    now the power of social media and blogs have been proved here in our Pakistani
    society, where the “Media Icon” needs to take the “legal” assistance.

    But the “Worse” by another face of our society that we
    spread the news without any need of its authentication (BTW we learned that
    from the said media as champion in this field :) yes “spread news without
    authentication” – now they should also care.

  • Sorry to say but this is a bulls4!t legal notice just to scare bloggers. Have some guts guys. They can’t do crap. There are rumors about the rest of the world in Jang and the Mag cut and pasted from who knows where. This is a legal notice not a legal conviction. No honest court can do much about it. Maybe get the PTA to ban a link here or there but that’s it. So go ahead and exercise your freedom of speech and don’t let the biggest rumor manger in Pakistani scare you. Perhaps he’s scared you’ll copy his craft and beat him at his own game.

    What I’m shocked by is the speed with which bloggers ki phati heh including sorry to say propakistani which I always think is the most bold. I guess you guys are now learning about your rights.

  • behind every rumor there exist some facts. You don’t like the rumor, clear it in media. Why getting so far. Dnt you know what you and your Jhang group do with rumors? and most importantly, do you think this small rumor is worth 1b? “Buthi dekhi hy apni :p”

  • Now this is interesting. Blogger, so called, would just put anything on their blogs without having proper info for the sake of getting people’s attention. I don’t know how much this lawsuit is applicable in Pakistan as we don’t have proper cyber laws but I am sure this is going to make blogger ponder about what they are putting on their blogs.

  • Do you guys really think that Demand Rs. 1 Billion As Compensation will be given by bloggers. I think this is just to threat them, most of them wont be even recognized because of incomplete identity on the blogs. What do you say?

  • LOL, Web.pk has now this text running:

    The article we publish few weeks ago has no creedibilty and weak sources behind it.We owe an formal apology to Mir Shakeel-Ur-Rehman for his association in that news we published.Mir Shakeel-Ur-Rehman is remarkable personality with great image, we have no intent to hurt his reputation, we are extremely sorry for any trouble we caused.This article was mainly on Dr.Shaista Wahidi but as per association with Mr Mir Shakeel-Ur-Rehman we owe an apology to her as well.We have also removed this article.

  • Hahahaha BIG JOKE!! There’s NO law in Pakistan that governs or regulates blogs and therefore they can’t be gunned down like this! Bloggers are NOT required to verify sources and stuff even though it’s a moral responsibility on them but you simply can’t bind them. Jang group is making a fool out of themselves and will end up facing the charges of trying to censor blogs!!

  • That is crap. I can not believe bloggers would just not put this notice in the trash and empty it. Let the MF’s sue, the courts, as much effed up they may be, will never side with the thrash hole on this. This is freedom of speech, which the the News channels use so much of, with sources unknown.


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