CEO of Pak media group sends notice to filmmaker Jami, seeks 'unconditional apology' for rape allegation

Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan 6 (ANI): Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan's Dawn newspaper Hameed Haroon on Monday sent a defamation notice to film director Jamshed 'Jami' Mahmood seeking an "unconditional public apology" and the retraction of rape accusations that the former had alleged against him.
The two have been involved in a public dispute since Jami last year in October came forward with the accusation that he was raped by a "media tycoon" 13 years ago and on December 28, named Haroon as his alleged rapist, Dawn reported.
In response, Haroon had issued a statement categorically rejecting the rape accusations and saying he would initiate legal action.
"Almost two months after circulating your first tweet on being allegedly raped, and strangely and abruptly travelling outside Pakistan, on December 28, 2019, on the social media platform Twitter, you falsely and maliciously labelled our client as an alleged rapist," said the four-page-long legal notice sent today.
"Since then, you have been continuing to circulate this false allegation all over Pakistan, including Karachi and abroad. Our client categorically denies that he has ever perpetrated the sexual assault on anyone and categorically denies that he has raped you," it added.
The notice also said that unless Jami circulates an unconditional public apology and issues a public statement retracting his allegation of rape from all social media posts and other media outlets within 14 days of the receipt of this notice, Haroon reserves the right to initiate civil and criminal legal proceedings against the director under Section 499 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, and other applicable laws.
Jami, who is currently in the United States, told the newspaper that he has received the notice and is in the process of perusing it.
"He added, however, that an apology was 'not even a distant possibility'," the publication reported. "There is a lot that needs to be done for victims of sexual harassment and for future victims," Jami was quoted as saying. (ANI)