Jang Group expresses “deep sorrow” over notice on Zardari’s possible remarriage story

KARACHI - The Jang group of newspapers has expressed “deep sorrow and regret over the release of a legal notice” issued by Pakistani authorities for publishing a story on President Asif Ali Zardari’s possible secret remarriage.

On Saturday, Zardari had asked the organisation to apologise for publishing a false and concocted story printed against him, or face legal action.

A spokesman for the Jang Group said the notice “appeared to be part of a trend to gain cheap, free publicity and claim innocence without pursuing the case in any court of law.”

“It was interesting to note that the government had not reacted to hundreds of reports and stories about the corruption, loot and plunder of the rulers to prove its innocence but it had taken up a matter of huge public interest to target the Jang Group, as part of its continued policy to inflict financial losses to the Group,” The News quoted the spokesman, as saying.

He said the reports did not reproduce any of the material circulating on dozens of web sites, including numerous videos and speeches of Dr Tanveer Zamani, rumoured to be Zardari’s new wife.

“What the Jang Group had done was to make an honest attempt to quash these widely circulating rumours and stories and had followed the strict principles of professional ethics by not only very prominently highlighting the denials issued by the spokesman of the President’s House and personal aide of the President Farahnaz Ispahani but had also approached the lady concerned, as it should be done in all such cases, by calling her and talking to her directly so that complete facts could come out once for all,” he added.

The spokesman also pointed out that public office holders, elected politicians and celebrities “continue to remain a subject of great public interest” around the world, and gave examples of former US President Bill Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, late Lady Diana and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who have also come under media scrutiny on matters relating to their personal lives. (ANI)