Key Developments:
- Lahore court summoned Mehmood Ahmed Bhatti on September 28 over Mubasher Lucman’s criminal complaint.
- The court said the submitted videos, transcripts and other material prima facie indicated allegedly defamatory, insulting and objectionable remarks.
- Bhatti is separately facing a Rs3 million surety requirement in a defamation case filed by healthcare entrepreneur Rizwan Aftab Ahmad.
LAHORE (The Current/Baaghi TV) — September 08, 2026: Pakistani-French fashion designer Mehmood Ahmed Bhatti has been summoned by a Lahore court in connection with a criminal complaint filed by senior investigative journalist and anchor Mubasher Lucman, while he is also facing separate defamation proceedings initiated by healthcare entrepreneur Rizwan Aftab Ahmad.
Additional Sessions Judge Lahore Nusrat Ali Siddiqui Malik issued the order on September 7, 2026, directing Bhatti, named as accused No. 1, to appear before the court on September 28 under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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The criminal complaint was filed by Lucman on July 31. According to the court order, Lucman stated that he is a journalist, television anchor, media executive and public commentator and alleged that Bhatti made what he described as false, defamatory and insulting statements about him during several podcasts and on digital media platforms.
The complaint relates to podcasts dated June 6, June 18, June 19 and July 1, 2026. Lucman alleged that some of the statements crossed into the category of direct threats and were disseminated through social media. The allegations remain subject to the legal process and have not been finally adjudicated.
During the proceedings, Lucman appeared before the court as a complainant and recorded his statement. Naveed Sheikh and Syed Kazim Hussain Naqvi also appeared as witnesses. Documents, screenshots, transcripts and video recordings of the podcasts were submitted in support of the complaint.
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After reviewing the material, the court observed that “some defamatory, insulting and scandalous remarks” appeared to have been made against the complainant in the podcasts and subsequently circulated on social media. The court further held that the allegations against Bhatti required further examination and that, prima facie, the complaint disclosed offences under Sections 11, 20, 21 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and Sections 500 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The court also considered the evidence presented by the complainant and his witnesses before deciding to proceed against Bhatti. It ordered that a summons be issued to him under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code, with the matter fixed for September 28, 2026.
The September 7 order does not amount to a conviction or a final finding that Bhatti committed the alleged offences. Rather, it allows the criminal complaint to proceed against him for further judicial examination.
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The court did not proceed against all the other proposed accused persons. According to the order, there was insufficient material against the remaining proposed accused at this stage, and the complaint was dismissed to that extent.
Separately, Bhatti is facing a defamation claim before the Punjab Defamation Tribunal in Lahore filed by healthcare entrepreneur Rizwan Aftab Ahmad. In that case, the tribunal directed Bhatti and his co-defendants to furnish personal surety bonds of Rs3 million each while allowing them to contest the proceedings.
The defamation case names Omar Aftab, host of the YouTube channel Startupreneur, and Ali Dar, host of the Views Matter Podcast, as co-defendants. The dispute concerns allegations that Bhatti circulated a letter containing allegedly defamatory accusations against Ahmad and subsequently discussed the matter during social media interviews.
Ahmad maintains that the statements harmed his reputation, while Bhatti has denied making defamatory remarks and has argued that the interview was taken out of context.
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The Punjab Defamation Tribunal has not made a final determination of defamation in that matter. It has instead allowed the defendants to contest the claim, with the case proceeding toward the evidence stage. The matter is scheduled for September 22, 2026.
The two proceedings are separate: the case filed by Rizwan Aftab Ahmad concerns a civil defamation claim before the Punjab Defamation Tribunal, while the complaint filed by Mubasher Lucman is a criminal matter being heard by the Additional Sessions Court in Lahore.
Bhatti has also faced separate legal proceedings in France, which are unrelated to the pending Pakistani cases.
For now, the immediate development in the Lucman matter is the September 7 order summoning Bhatti for September 28. The court’s observations concern the material presented at the preliminary stage and should not be treated as a final determination of criminal liability.
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