The Lahore High Court (LHC) terminates the plea filed by former actress Sophia Mirza on restricting her ex-husband, Norwegian-Pakistani businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor, from media appearances yesterday.
Mirza had petitioned the LHC to force the PEMRA to stop airing interviews of her husband, who is Liberia’s Ambassador, after he and their daughters appeared on Pakistani media numerous times to deny her accusations of them being kidnapped and oppressed.
Note that the former spouses, who got divorced 14 years ago, have 14-year-old twin daughters who reside with their father in Dubai. However, the parents have been embroiled in a custody battle for them.
During the hearing, the Sussar-in-law actress’s lawyer, Adnan Faiz Kalar, told the LHC that the “PEMRA has been airing false news and shall be stopped from doing so. Major news channels are airing malicious content about Mirza and the same should be stopped and notice should be issued to PEMRA”.
Justice Shahid Jamil told the petitioner and lawyer that they need to quote the exact provision of the law under which the violation took place.
Advocate Faiz told the judge that Mirza had approached the FIA under the PECA but the FIA did not respond to the application. At this point, Mirza interfered and told the court that it is a matter of custody of the daughters.
The judge mentioned with displeasure that “either she should speak herself or let her counsel represent her case before the court,”
The Gulbashra star’s lawyer asked the court again to take notice and that the YouTube links have been provided in the petition.
The judge remarked,
This was not the job of PEMRA to stop such broadcasts, you have to tell me what the law is and which provision of the law has been violated. Establish your case first. We cannot issue directions in every case.
After this lawyer asked for more time which irked Justice Khan for wasting the court’s time and asked him to come prepared on the next date of the hearing.
It is relevant to mention that Sophia Mirza has made allegations of fraud and corruptionagainst her ex-husband, but the businessman has not been charged or convicted of any wrongdoing. Consequently, he had filed a defamation case against her, seeking Rs.500 million as damages.
