ISLAMABAD – TV host Ashfaque Ishaq Satti filed a defamation lawsuit against well-known news anchor Rabia Anum for her social media tirades regarding domestic abuse. Satti, who is being sued by the police for allegedly assaulting his third wife, Nomaika, provided an update on the latest developments in the controversy while he filed the lawsuit.
The legal notice stated that "Rabia Anum's social media account is found to be associated and is involved in defaming my Client. You have published a baseless, frivolous, and perverse story about alleged torture and murder attempts by my client of his wife in your recent posts dated January 29 and January 30, 2024." Nomaika's sharing of images of the physical assault caused outrage and sparked a social media campaign demanding that the TV show host be boycotted.
The statement read, "You [Rabia] have attempted to incite hatred against my client and have created an unjust atmosphere against my client by making libelous statements and allegations of a heinous nature in your recent posts, thus assassinating the character of my client in order to achieve easy fame through social media."
It claimed that among other things, readers, listeners, and viewers would understand that Rabia's social media post damaged his reputation. It further claimed that you tried to portray my client as a highly infamous media figure who once supported domestic abuse, an accusation that is untrue and demonstrates an offensive mindset and bias against my client.
I have sent legal notice to @RabiaAnumm for defaming me pic.twitter.com/aJf1gxKInH
— Ashfaq Ishaq Satti (@SattiAshfaqe) January 30, 2024
In the midst of the controversy, Ashfaq claimed that Rabia Anum would bear responsibility for his death if he took his own life while facing hate from public figures and coworkers. Rabia quickly responded to Ashfaq's post, using a sarcastic tone to say, "Oooo I am so scared." In a previous development, Satti claimed to have earned a seat on the show after years of hard work in the media industry. He thanked people for their love, but appeared dejected after being suspended from ARY News.