Journalist Naeem Hanif has issued a public apology to actor Saba Qamar after she served him with a Rs100 million legal notice over defamatory remarks made about her character.
The legal notice claimed that Hanif had made “defamatory, sexist, and derogatory statements” about Qamar’s personal and moral character, while promoting the harmful idea that a woman’s achievements are not earned through merit, but through associations with men.
Hanif addressed the controversy during an appearance on a podcast hosted by Bushra Khan on RNN Network’s YouTube channel, where he admitted that his earlier claims were false. “The claims I made were false, and I apologise to Saba Qamar,” he said.
Qamar responded by sharing Hanif’s apology on her Instagram story, with the caption “Speechless.”
The remarks that led to the legal action were made by Hanif in November 2025 on his YouTube channel, where he alleged that Qamar had once lived in a house in Lahore’s Walton area, supposedly provided to her by an unnamed individual. These claims were quickly met with backlash on social media, and Qamar firmly denied the accusations, calling them “baseless and untrue.” She further stated that she had never lived in Walton and described the allegations as a serious attack on her character.
In the wake of the controversy, several celebrities voiced their support for Qamar, condemning the nature of the allegations. Actor Sehar Khan took to Instagram, saying it was unacceptable to be able to “say anything about anyone” on the internet, calling for questioning of “extreme and toxic mindsets.”
Qamar also shared several Instagram stories pointing out Hanif’s past behavior, which included derogatory remarks about other celebrities, such as actor Fiza Ali and the couple Shoaib Malik and Sana Javed, as well as a clip in which he spoke about the death of actor Yousaf. In one post, she accused Hanif of “spreading false news, making cheap remarks, and disrespecting people who’ve worked hard all their lives… just to get attention, views, and fame.”
Media commentators Aamna Isani and Hassan Choudary of *Something Haute* also condemned the incident, stressing the responsibility that comes with journalism. They emphasized that no one should use their platform to spread false claims, particularly when personal attacks are disguised as commentary.
