UK Court rules that Murtaza Ali Shah was ‘defamed’ through a campaign by PTI leaders

A United Kingdom (UK) High Court Judge has ruled that the words used by three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders against London-based journalist Murtaza Ali Shah are “defamatory” at common law and that he was defamed through a campaign.

Murtaza had himself moved the court against PTI leaders Mohammad Imran, Shanaz Hussain (typically known as Shanaz Saddique) and Riaz Hussain after they launched a defamatory social media campaign against him in 2020. Shah’s reporting on Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court after the Assets Recovery Unit paid a spy agency to investigate Justice Isa’s children led to the defamatory campaign against the journalist.

The former ruling party has distanced itself from the matter. A spokesman of PTI UK said the three were clearly told by PTI leadership that their campaign against the reporter is personal.

It is pertinent to mention here that one of the PTI leaders—Shanaz Hussain— was found guilty of forging her husband’s signature in 2012.

In March 2023, at a preliminary trial on the meaning of the defamatory words used by these leaders, a judge said that “these are serious allegations to make against a professional journalist”.