Why Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar is served a Rs1 billion legal notice

Dubai: The simmering feud between former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar and TV sports anchor Dr. Nauman Niaz has flared up once more, with the latter serving a Rs1 billion defamation notice to the ex-cricketer.

The legal notice, dated May 29, accuses Akhtar of making “baseless” and “unethical” remarks during a May 25 appearance on a private news channel, where the former pacer claimed that Niaz “used to carry our bags” and “was kept for that purpose.” Niaz’s legal team described the comments as not only false but deeply damaging, calling them “an assault on memory and dignity.”

In the notice, Niaz alleges that Akhtar’s words were laced with “foul and defamatory language” and were made with the “sole intention of destroying the reputation” he has built through decades of work in sports journalism and administration, reported Dawn news.

The letter warns that Akhtar’s comments could cause significant reputational and financial harm and demands a public apology and retraction within 14 days or face legal action under Pakistan’s Defamation Ordinance 2002.

Quick response

Shoaib Akhtar wasted no time in responding. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed the notice as “legally defective, unfounded, ego-satisfying and utterly frivolous,” adding that he had already engaged legal counsel to craft what he promised would be “a befitting reply.”

A bitter history

This latest legal salvo marks a renewed chapter in a feud that first exploded into the public eye in October 2021, during a live broadcast of the PTV Sports show ‘Game On Hai’. Akhtar and Niaz, both prominent voices in Pakistani cricket commentary, were part of a high-profile panel that included legends such as Sir Vivian Richards and David Gower.

The controversy began when Akhtar praised the Lahore Qalandars franchise of the Pakistan Super League for unearthing fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. Niaz took exception to the comment and abruptly interrupted him on air, saying: “You are being a little rude so I don’t want to say this but if you’re being over-smart then you can go. I am saying this on air.”

Bad treatment

The clash stunned viewers. After a brief break, Akhtar apologised to the guests but refused to back down, announcing his resignation from PTV live on air, stating he couldn’t continue “because of how I was treated on national television.”

Despite public backlash and brief reconciliation efforts, tensions between the two have remained unresolved, simmering under the surface until now.

The latest legal confrontation has once again thrust their feud into the spotlight, underscoring the fragile relationship between sports media and the personalities it covers.