Nasir Mehmood, Senior Vice President of the United Kingdom Chapter of the Pakistani Muslim League Nawaz (“PML-N”), secures £155,000 in damages in claims for defamation against Hum Network UK Limited and Dunya News Limited

Mr Nasir Mehmood, also known as Nasir Mehmood Butt, is the senior vice President of the United Kingdom chapter of the PML-N party. During the course of broadcasts on the Hum News and Dunya News channels in July and August 2019, it was alleged, amongst other things, that Mr Mehmood was a multiple murderer and member of an illegal drug marketing network who left Pakistan in order to avoid prosecution for criminal offences.

Dunya News Limited, who had further asserted that Mr Mehmood was a leader of a criminal gang and had been involved in bribing a judge, has now agreed to both broadcast an apology to Mr Mehmood and to pay him £90,000 in damages for its defamatory broadcast, as well as paying his legal costs.

Further, in a detailed judgment following an assessment of damages hearing, Master Dagnall awarded Mr Mehmood £65,000 in damages, plus his legal costs, for libel, on the basis that the Hum News broadcasts had been seen by less than 1000 people, and that he had already received compensation in relation to a similar defamatory broadcast.  Master Dagnall noted that but for those matters a far higher award of damages would have been made.

David Lemer continues to act for Mr Mehmood, instructed by Ushrat Sultana and Sadia Qureshi of Stone White Solicitors.