Website retraction and unreserved apology by
Eurasiafuture.com, Adam Garrie and others to Mir Shakil ur Rahman and Jang Group.
This retraction and unreserved apology is given by Eurasiafuture.com, Mr Adam Garrie (the director and the person responsible for the content on the website) its officers and the owners of the said website. Any reference to “we” or “eurasiafuture.com” shall mean and be construed to mean jointly and severally Eurasiafuture.com, Mr Adam Garrie and each and all of the entity(ies) and person(s) stated in the previous sentence.
Eurasiafuture.com published the following four (4) articles (the “Article” or “Articles” as the context so admits) by the author Tayyab Baloch:
- Hacking Democracy – Cambridge Analytica Turns to Pakistan
Written by Tayyab Baloch on 9 March 2018
http://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/03/09/hacking-democracy-cambridge-analytica-turns-pakistan/
- Western Firm Cambridge Analytica is Meddling in Pakistan’s Democracy – Not Russia
Written by Tayyab Baloch on 18 March
- Data-War Poses Hybrid Threats to Pakistan’s Sovereignty
Written by Tayyab Baloch on 23 March 2018
http://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/03/23/data-war-poses-hybrid-threats-to-pakistans-sovereignty/
- Nawaz Sharif Uses Foreign Firm to Meddle in Election and Slander Judiciary
Written by Tayyab Baloch on 28 February 2018
The Articles focused on Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman and the Jang Group. Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman is (1) the Group Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief of the Jang group of companies, (2) Jang Publications (Private) Limited, (3) Geo TV Limited and (4) the Jang group of companies, including Independent Media Corporation (Pvt) Limited and Independent Newspaper Corporation (Pvt) Limited.
Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman is a well-known and highly respected individual and businessman both in Pakistan and internationally among the Pakistani and wider international community.
Each of the Articles contained serious and defamatory allegations against Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman and the Jang Group.
We requested the author of the Articles Mr Tayyab Baloch to provide any evidence to substantiate the serious and defamatory allegations made in the Articles against Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman and/or Jang Group. Mr Tayyab Baloch refused and therefore could not and did not provide any such proof and so we have concluded that there was and is no evidence and that each the allegations made in the Articles against Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman and/or the Jang Group were wholly false, malicious and highly defamatory of Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman and/or Jang Group.
We have also investigated each of the allegations made in the Articles and found them to be completely false, malicious and fabricated. By way of example only and to illustrate this, we found no evidence whatsoever to connect Cambridge Analytica with Mr Mir Shakil Ur Rahman, Jang Group or his media conglomerate, nor is there any link of international funding of his media outlets to support any international political propaganda.
Given the above we therefore consider it appropriate to make this retraction and unreserved written apology to Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman, Geo TV and the Jang Group.
We (jointly and severally) hereby irrevocably, completely and unreservedly retract and revoke each and every allegation made against Mir Shakil ur Rahman and/or Geo TV and/or the Jang Group in the Articles as such allegations were and are wholly false, malicious, fabricated and highly defamatory.
We have given an undertaking to Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman, Geo TV and the Jang Group to never repeat (directly or indirectly or by way of innuendo) any of the allegations, defamatory statements or statements mentioned in the Articles and immediately do whatever is necessary to remove any links to the Articles on any search engine, social media or any other form of communication or other media.
We unreservedly apologise to Mr Mir Shakil ur Rahman, Geo TV and the Jang Group for the wholly false, fabricated, malicious and defamatory allegations made against him/them and for any harm and/ or distress that may have suffered or been caused to him, any of his family or businesses.
The above retraction and apology has been given freely and without any undue influence of any type. We have had the opportunity to take independent legal advice.
