Pakistan to sue British newspaper ‘The Sun’ for defamation

26 Jul, 2012

British newspaper The Sun claimed a visa scam had been hatched that could have allowed potential terrorists to enter the Olympic village. On Wednesday the Pakistani cabinet decided to take legal action against the article.

Pakistani Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira questioned the credibility of the newspaper and said, “Dirty propaganda was unleashed against Pakistan. The cabinet ordered the NADRA (the National Database Registration Authority) to file a defamation suit (against the paper) after consulting the law ministry.”

Pakistan Olympic Committee also dismissed the claim as ludicrous earlier this week.

The British tabloid said it had busted a racket involving a politician in the eastern city of Lahore that could have given access to the London Games as part of the Pakistani contingent in return for one million rupees ($10,000).

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been asked to put together a complete profile of Lahore-based Politician Abid Chaudhry, who, the tabloid claims was the mastermind behind the alleged scandal.

The tabloid accused Chaudhry of smuggling people to London under the garb of Pakistani officials in exchange for a payment of Rs.1 million.

Now it is reported that Pakistan will seek Rs.10 billion in damages from The Sun.

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