ISLAMABAD: Bakhtawar Zardari, daughter of former president Asif Ali Zardari and slain Benazir Bhutto, has served a legal notice to Syeda Abida Husain for levelling, false, unsubstantiated and tendentious allegations against her mother in her book Special Star-Benazir Bhutto’s Story.

The notice, which has been served through her counsel Senator Farooq H. Naek has named Managing Director of the Oxford University Press Pakistan Ameena Saiyid and festival director of Karachi Literature Festival Salma Adil, regional sales director south of Oxford University Press, Karachi Literature Festival and others as respondents.

It said that along with the author of the book and the impugned statements, its printer and publisher as well as its circulator in Pakistan (Oxford University Press) who has circulated the defamatory book via its outlets without checking and confirming the contents therein are also liable for defamation.

It said the respondents have irresponsibly and maliciously made, printed and published the statements to provoke sentiments against the former prime minister and her party to politically malign and victimize the Pakistan Peoples Party. It added that the ‘impugned statements’ in the book have been published without being properly investigated, verified.

The notice said that Bakhtawar is entitled to damages for mental torture, harassment, agony, humiliation which she, the workers and supporters of PPP have suffered and are undergoing at present because of wrongful acts on your part individually and jointly. It said that Bakhtawar is entitled for the following amounts for defamation due to publication which are quantified as under Damages on account of Loss of Reputation — Rs500 million; damages for mental agony, torture and physical harassment — Rs500 million.

“It has come to our knowledge that the printer and publisher of the book is also a festival director of Karachi Literary Festival and is attempting to launch the aforesaid book through the Karachi Literary Festival on Friday.

Ameena Saiyid is hereby specifically admonished to desist from launching the aforesaid book containing scandalous, libelous and defamatory statements against Benazir Bhutto on Friday or any date thereafter at any venue whatsoever.