ISLAMABAD - Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad Abida Sajjad Tuesday restrained former Test cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz from issuing defamatory statement against member Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Islamabad region president Shakil Shaikh.
The judge passed the restraining order after hearing preliminary arguments in a defamation suit filed by Shakil against Sarfaraz through his counsel Barrister Masroor Shah.
Arguing before the court, Barrister Masroor, counsel for the plaintiff, stated that Sarfaraz maliciously wrote a defamatory letter to the Capital Development Authority chairman and copied the same to Senator Talha Mehmood and Senator Kamil Ali Agha, chairman and member of Senate's Standing Committee on capital administration and development division respectively, whereby he made blatantly false statements and preposterous statements against Shakil with respect to Diamond Cricket Ground, which gravely injured his reputation, tended to lower his reputation in the estimation of others and tended to reduce the plaintiff to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike, contempt and hatred. Barrister Masroor contended that by writing, printing and posting the defamatory matter to chairman, CDA and aforesaid member of the Senate's Standing Committee, committed libel within the meaning of section 3 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002.
The counsel for the plaintiff argued that by reason of the defamation committed by Sarfaraz Nawaz, Shakil suffered loss of reputation as well as severe ordeal and psychological trauma, Barrister Masroor, therefore, prayed to the court to grant damages to the tune of Rs 100,000,000 (Rs one hundred million) to the plaintiff. After hearing preliminary arguments of Barrister Masroor, the court issued notice to Sarfaraz with direction to appear on 26.10.2015 and restrained him from making any statement against Shakil in the media.
Shakil is a chief Reporter of a local newspaper, member PCB BoG, PCB cricket committee chairman and Regional Cricket Association president. He has earned Tamgha-i-Imtiaz on his meritorious services for public as top journalist and the ICC awarded his Centenary Award for his outstanding services for the causes of cricket as volunteer.