Journalist Naeem Hanif has issued a proper apology after actor Saba Qamar served him a Rs100 million authorized discover over defamatory remarks made about her character.
In keeping with the authorized discover, Hanif had “made and disseminated defamatory, sexist and derogatory statements regarding [Qamar’s] private and ethical character,” whereas selling the “regressive notion {that a} lady’s achievements are usually not earned by advantage or professionalism however by affiliation with males.”
Hanif addressed the controversy whereas showing on a podcast hosted by Bushra Khan on RNN Community’s YouTube channel, the place he acknowledged that his claims had been false. “The claims I made had been false and I apologise to Saba Qamar,” he stated.
Qamar responded to the apology by sharing it to her Instagram story, with the caption “Speechless”.
The apology follows remarks Hanif made earlier in November 2025 on his YouTube channel, the place he alleged that Qamar had as soon as lived in a home in Lahore’s Walton space that was allegedly supplied to her by an unnamed particular person. The claims rapidly drew backlash on-line.
Qamar firmly denied the accusations, sharing a screenshot of the podcast on her Instagram account and calling the statements “baseless and unfaithful.” She stated she had by no means lived in Walton and described the remarks as a severe act of character assassination.
Following the controversy, a number of celebrities publicly got here out in assist of Qamar and condemned the character of the allegations.
Actor Sehar Khan addressed the difficulty on her Instagram story, saying that having the ability to “say something about anybody” on the web was unacceptable. “Such excessive and poisonous mindsets have to be questioned,” she added.
Qamar herself additionally shared a collection of Instagram tales highlighting what she described as Hanif’s sample of behaviour. These included posts drawing consideration to his derogatory remarks in opposition to actor Fiza Ali and superstar couple Shoaib Malik and Sana Javed, in addition to a clip of him talking concerning the loss of life of actor Yousaf.
In a single submit, Qamar accused Hanif of getting a historical past of “spreading false information, making low-cost remarks and disrespecting individuals who’ve labored onerous all their lives…simply to get consideration, views and fame.”
Media commentators Aamna Isani and Hassan Choudary of One thing Haute additionally reacted strongly to the controversy, stressing that journalism comes with duty. They stated nobody ought to use their platform to unfold factually incorrect claims, including that private assaults underneath the guise of commentary are unacceptable.
