KARACHI: A court in Pakistan has declared Rolf John Widerøe, a reporter for Norway’s extreme-right tabloid Verdens Gang (VG), and the tabloid’s Chief Editor as proclaimed offenders for failing to appear in court in a defamation case filed by Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor.
Judge Abid Zubair, of the Additional District and Sessions Court in Ferozwala, issued the declaration following their consistent failure to respond to court summons issued in November last year. Notices were sent to their Norwegian addresses, but neither the reporter nor the editor appeared in court or provided evidence to substantiate their claims.
The court’s proclamation, published in leading Pakistani newspapers, warned that failure to appear would result in ex-parte proceedings.
Zahoor filed the lawsuit after VG published an allegedly defamatory article targeting him. The businessman, who has played a key role in bringing millions of dollars in foreign investment to Pakistan, accused the tabloid of a malicious campaign motivated by Islamophobia, racism, and personal biases.
Zahoor’s legal team argued that the tabloid has been engaged in a 15-year-long vendetta, deliberately omitting critical facts to harm his reputation. They highlighted that allegations against Zahoor, including his alleged involvement in a fraud case in Nordea Bank Norway, have been refuted.
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The fraud occurred in 2010, while Zahoor had not visited Norway since 2005.
Norwegian authorities reopened the investigation in 2015 and sought his extradition via an Interpol Red Notice, but UAE authorities refused due to lack of evidence.
The defamation suit emphasizes that VG concealed these details while falsely accusing Zahoor, labeling the campaign as “biased and Islamophobic.”
The court’s notice directed Widerøe and the Chief Editor to appear in person or through legal representation, failing which the proceedings would continue in their absence.
This case highlights ongoing tensions over defamatory reporting and its implications on international reputations and relationships.
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