Nauman Niaz Serves Rs1 Billion Defamation Notice to Shoaib Akhtar
- Abeera Marium Siddiqui
- June 4, 2025
- 10:51 am
- 39
- Trending
The long-standing Shoaib Akhtar defamation saga has taken a serious legal turn. Dr. Nauman Niaz, a veteran sports journalist and former PCB official, has sent a Rs1 billion legal notice to the former Pakistani fast bowler. The notice accuses Akhtar of making false and damaging comments during a recent cricket talk show.
On May 25, 2025, Shoaib Akhtar appeared on Episode 31 of The Dug Out, a cricket program streamed on Tamasha. During the episode, Akhtar made a controversial statement in Urdu. He said, “Yeh Dr. Nauman Niaz hamarey bag uthata tha, humney issey bag uthaney ke liye rakha hua tha.” His words suggested that Dr. Niaz used to carry their bags and had been “kept for that purpose.”
Dr. Niaz strongly denied this claim. His legal team called the comment “casual yet unmistakably derogatory.” According to them, Akhtar’s remarks were not just baseless—they were deeply harmful to Niaz’s career and personal reputation.
On May 29, 2025, Advocate Qazi Umair Ali officially served the defamation notice. It referenced the Defamation Ordinance 2002 and demanded a public apology and retraction. The notice warned of further legal action if Akhtar failed to respond within 14 days.
Niaz’s legal counsel stated that the remarks hurt his standing in the media industry. They also pointed out the emotional and financial toll caused by repeated attacks on his credibility. The legal notice emphasized Dr. Niaz’s contributions to sports media. He has held senior positions at the PCB and has received a Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his services.
Meanwhile, Akhtar wasted no time replying. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed the legal notice as “legally defective, unfounded, ego-satisfying and utterly frivolous.” He added that his legal team is preparing “a befitting reply.”
This Shoaib Akhtar defamation case is not the first clash between the two. Their conflict first made headlines in October 2021. During a live show on PTV Sports called Game On Hai, Niaz interrupted Akhtar on air. He told him, “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.”
The incident shocked viewers across the country. Akhtar apologized to the panel, which included cricket legends like Sir Vivian Richards and David Gower. However, he then resigned live on air, saying he couldn’t continue after being treated that way on national TV.
Despite a brief apology from Niaz a week later, the rift never fully healed. Now, with this latest Shoaib Akhtar defamation notice, the tensions have once again exploded into public view.
What happens next remains to be seen. Will Akhtar back down, fight back, or double down?
