ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Television (PTV) on Thursday withdrew a case from Lahore Court registered against former pacer Shoaib Akhtar in which it had asked him to pay Rs100 million for violating clauses of their contract.
During the hearing, a lawyer for PTV told a civil court in Lahore that the two parties had reconciled their differences. The lawyer claimed that the PTV did not wish to pursue the case further. The court subsequently disposed of the suit.
During the recently-concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Akhtar had a heated argument with PTV Sports anchor Dr Nauman Niaz on live TV, where the latter had misbehaved with the national star.
Following the argument, Akhtar had resigned from the live show. While the public supported the Rawalpindi Express, the state-owned channel had sent him a recovery notice asking him to pay Rs100 million in damages and reimburse three months’ salary worth Rs3,333,000 for violating clauses of their contract.
The two were part of a panel for PTV Sports programme “Game On Hai” along with guests such as West Indies batting legend Sir Vivian Richards, former England captain David Gower, former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir and former fast bowler Umar Gul.
At the time, Akhtar had said he was “utterly disappointed” by the notice and had vowed to continue the legal fight. On November 5, Niaz tendered an “unconditional apology” for his conduct with Akhtar during a tell-all interview with journalist Rauf Klasra.
The pair finally reconciled on November 13 after Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry mediated between them. The minister had invited Akhtar and Niaz to his residence and helped the pair settle their differences.
