Pakistan’s Urdu language TV channel 92 News has shut down operations and transmission in UK transmission after Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched defamation case over a programme making false accusations of Maryam Nawaz taking Toshakhana gifts with the bureaucrats.
92 News/Glaxy has previously lost defamation case to Senator and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and apologised to him in UK in his defamation case and also lost defamation case to PMLN UK vice president Nasir Mahmood.
92 News owes over £200,000 to Nasir Mahmood on UK Court order and the potential costs of Maryam Nawaz’s full case was estimated at around £250,000 with a clear loss legal opinion to the channel.Sources in 92 in UK and Pakistan confirmed that the channel terminated its services from 1st August 2024 in the UK after being advised by its UK lawyers it will lose defamation case to Maryam Nawaz at the trial in the UK High Court later this year with the potential costs of over £250,000 in legal fees and damage reward to Maryam Nawaz.
Last month, the channel sent out a notification to UK govt’s TV regulator and Sky management that it was winding up and will stop broadcasting in the UK after 31st July 2024. Maryam Nawaz started case against 92 News/Glaxy after anchors Amir Mateen and Sarwat Valim in Muqabil programme on 17 November 2022 accused Maryam of taking Toshakhana gifts.
The anchors alleged that Maryam Nawaz took a watch from Toshakhana worth a million for only 45,000 Rupees with help from the bureaucracy in a corrupt scheme. The allegation was false as Maryam Nawaz never received any such gift, her lawyers argued in the claim, seeking apology and damages. Her lawyers stated in court papers at UK High Court that Maryam had suffered serious harm to her reputation by the imputations in the broadcast and therefore the channel should apologise.
The channel accepted during the communications that it had no defence of the allegations but argued on technicalities and that the anchors were fed news by the social media after the Toshakhana scandals broke out. Maryam Nawaz was represented in the case by Stone White Solicitors.
The show was aired on 92 News in UK and Pakistan after the federal government made the list of state officials who received Toshakhana gifts since 2002 public in accordance with the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) directives.
The record stated that by putting just Rs20.17 million in Toshakhana, former premier Imran Khan was able to keep a watch (Graff No. AU750) set in 18-karat gold and diamonds valued at about Rs85 million, a pair of cufflinks worth over Rs5.6 million, a pen worth 1.5 million rupees, and an engagement ring worth Rs8.7 million.Former president Asif Ali Zardari also kept a number of items after depositing a total of about Rs16.1 million, including a BMW 760 Li with an estimated value of Rs57,828,705 and a Toyota Lexus LX 470 with an estimated value of Rs50,000,000.
The record said by depositing Rs0.243 million in Toshakhana in 2013, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was able to keep one Rolex Watch Oyster Perpetual N Series 0835D018, one pair of cufflinks with a pen (worth Rs0.025 million), and four commemorative coins from the Central Bank of Kuwait (worth Rs0.015 million). Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Nawaz Sharif, kept a bracelet worth Rs12.7 million and a pair of earrings worth Rs41.6 million by depositing Rs10.8 million in 2016.
A PMLN spokesman in Lahore said Maryam Nawaz had never benefitted from Toshakhana and the allegation was false. “Maryam Nawaz launched case in the UK against 92 News to clear her name and she stands vindicated as 92 News made it clear during proceedings it had no evidence. The channel confirmed the allegation was false and knew it would be heavily punished for running a fake news. Therefore it has decided to liquidate and end business in UK.”92 News said: “We have decided to shut down UK operations. We have come off the Sky and our operations are not available anymore.”
