In a significant legal development in the UK, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz secured a formal apology from a private television channel after she filed a defamation claim in the High Court of Justice (UK). The case centered on a broadcast aired on 17 November 2022, during the programme Muqabil, which accused her of acquiring a watch from the state gift repository, Toshakhana, in a purportedly corrupt deal with bureaucrats.
The programme alleged that Maryam had obtained a watch valued at one million Pakistani rupees but paid just Rs 45,000, with senior officials allegedly arranging the undervaluation. It further claimed she had criticised Imran Khan for taking a watch from the Toshakhana while allegedly engaging in the same practice herself. As part of the claims, it was stated she conspired with her own staff, designating a gift as being worth merely 10 per cent of its value so that she could purchase it at a steep discount.
Maryam’s legal representatives — including barrister David Lemer (of Doughty Street Chambers) alongside solicitors Sadia Qureshi and Ushrat Sultana (of Stone White Solicitors) — argued the allegations were entirely baseless and had seriously damaged her reputation. They sought both a retraction of the false statements and monetary compensation.
Following nearly three years of litigation, the private channel in the UK formally retracted the contested remarks and issued an apology, acknowledging the distress caused to Maryam. The development marks a legal victory for her and a step toward restoring her public standing in the UK jurisdiction.
