Mehmood Bhatti Hit with Rs 3M Surety Order in Defamation Case

LAHORE: The Punjab Defamation Tribunal, Lahore, has directed Pakistani-French fashion designer Mehmood Ahmad Bhatti and his co-defendants to furnish personal surety bonds of Rs3 million each while granting them leave to defend a defamation claim filed by renowned healthcare entrepreneur and Director National Hospital DHA Lahore.

The order, passed on September 3, 2026, concerns Rizwan Aftab Ahmad v. Mehmood Ahmad Bhatti & Others. The Tribunal held that the dispute involved mixed questions of law and fact requiring determination through evidence and consequently allowed the defendants to contest the proceedings, subject to the Rs3 million surety requirement for each defendant.

Besides Bhatti, the proceedings name Omar Aftab, host of the YouTube channel Startupreneur, and Ali Dar, host of the Views Matter Podcast, as co-defendants.

According to the court record, the case stems from allegations that Bhatti circulated a letter containing allegedly defamatory accusations against Ahmad and subsequently further defamed him through social media interviews. The plaintiff maintains that the statements damaged his reputation, while Bhatti has denied making defamatory remarks and contends that the impugned interview was taken out of context.

Counsel for one of the digital journalists argued that his client merely hosted the interview in the course of journalistic activity and had himself made no defamatory remarks. The plaintiff disputed that position, arguing that providing a platform for dissemination of the alleged statements could attract liability.

The Tribunal has not yet made any final finding of defamation, observing instead that whether the defendants’ words or actions fall within the ambit of defamation remains a question to be determined after evidence.

The development comes months after Bhatti’s separate criminal proceedings in France. Le Monde reported in May 2026 that Bhatti admitted tax fraud and aggravated money laundering before the Paris Court of Appeals and received a 24-month suspended prison sentence, a €150,000 fine and a 10-year prohibition on managing a company, along with confiscation of certain assets.

The French proceedings are entirely separate from the pending Lahore defamation case.

The Tribunal has directed the parties to submit proposed issues, witness lists and documents for evidence, with the matter fixed for September 22, 2026.