Sharmila Faruqui serves Nadia Khan Rs50m defamation notice

Host had shared an encounter with Sharmila's mother on her YouTube that did not sit well with the politician.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui’s legal team served popular television host Nadia Khan Rs50 million defamation notice on Saturday for her controversial video featuring the prior's mother.

Shared on her Instagram Stories, the notice maintains that Nadia published a “defamatory video” on her Youtube channel in which she has “violated her mother Anisa Farooqi’s privacy and mocked her over her makeup look.”

The notice gives Nadia 15 days to not only retract her remarks but also issue an apology and pay Rs50 million as compensation. “On behalf of Mrs Sharmila Farooqi, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, who has instructed me to serve upon you the following legal notice under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, on account of a defamatory video published by you on your YouTube channel namely Outstyle, on January 20, 2022,” the notice reads.

“My client is a well reputed politician and you have tainted her persona as a result of the abovementioned video. It is a well-known fact that anyone who runs a YouTube channel gets remuneration for views and engagement. Hence, by posting hate speech against my client, you are trying to create a controversy just to get noticed,” it goes onto claim. Adding that “it is unfortunate” that a known media professional like Nadia, “is posting with such reckless disregard.”

Nadia had landed in hot waters after engaging in a conversation with Anisa Farooqi for a video which sees her ‘complimenting’ her makeup and sense of style. The compliments did not sit well with Sharmila and a lot of viewers who reserved that Nadia was being sarcastic. Sharmila termed it a mockery and promised that she would take legal action against the host. Later that day, Sharmila filed a case against Nadia with the FIA, too. “She is a shameless woman, I’m reporting her to cybercrime officially,” the politician commented under the video shared on an Instagram page.

Nadia, who spoke with Anisa at a wedding, had asked her, "Who does your makeup? it's so beautiful!" Anisa said that she does it herself, after which the host-cum-actor inquired where she learnt to do it and Anisa credited her daughter Sharmila. Nadia also commented on her dressing sense, jewellery and makeup while Anisa responded to all compliments and questions without doubting Nadia’s intentions. But it seems her daughter is certain Nadia did not mean well, despite the clarification she released in response.

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