LAHORE (MNN); Journalist Naeem Hanif has issued a public apology to actor Saba Qamar after she served him a legal notice over what she described as defamatory remarks made during a podcast aired on November 1.
On Tuesday, Hanif appeared on a programme hosted by Bushran Khan on RNN Network’s YouTube channel, where he was given the opportunity to address the controversy involving Qamar. During the podcast, Hanif acknowledged that a video uploaded on November 3 contained false claims alleging that the actor was in a live-in relationship in Lahore.
He admitted that the information was later found to be incorrect and had no basis in fact. Hanif said the remarks were contrary to the truth, hurt Qamar’s sentiments and damaged her reputation, and expressed regret over the harm caused.
Saba Qamar responded to the apology by reposting the clip on her Instagram story with the caption “Speechless”.
The controversy began on November 1 when Hanif, who is also listed as the CEO of RNN TV, appeared on a news podcast on the RNN TV YouTube channel. While discussing reactions to Qamar’s comments about preferring to live in Lahore instead of Karachi, he made allegations questioning her moral character, referring to incidents dating back to the early 2000s. Similar claims were made against actor Natasha Ali, along with derogatory remarks about actor Mishi Khan.
Following the podcast, Qamar issued a legal notice to Hanif and shared screenshots of the notice on Instagram. She stated that she had taken legal action against a journalist for spreading false and baseless allegations, urging colleagues and fans to stand up against defamation and disrespect.
The legal notice accused Hanif of making defamatory, sexist and derogatory statements about Qamar’s personal and moral character. It further alleged that he promoted regressive ideas suggesting that a woman’s success is achieved through association with men rather than merit and professionalism.
The notice criticised the journalist’s tone, saying it fell far below accepted journalistic standards and caused severe mental distress and reputational damage to the actor. It demanded removal of the objectionable content within seven days, a public apology, an undertaking not to comment further on Qamar’s personal or professional life, and payment of Rs100 million in damages.
The November 1 podcast video has since been removed from the channel.
