Umar Zahoor files criminal complaint in Lahore against Norwegian tabloid VG

LAHORE: Businessman and Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large on Economic Diplomacy Umar Farooq Zahoor has filed a criminal complaint in a Lahore court against Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG), its reporter Rolf J Wideroe and prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann over what he described as a defamatory campaign linked to his recent meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad.

The complaint was filed under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Zahoor said the tabloid published the article after his diplomatic engagement in Islamabad concerning Iran-US peace dialogue facilitated by Pakistan.

The complaint states that the article described Zahoor as wanted by Norwegian police. It says the report appeared after images and footage showed him meeting the American delegation, including Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. It further says Zahoor was filmed with the delegation when they were seen off at Nur Khan Airbase by Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership.

In the complaint, Zahoor alleged that VG had carried out a malicious and one-sided campaign against him for more than 15 years, publishing material without seeking his version and repeating claims despite what he said were legal clarifications. He also maintained that Interpol had ended cases against him due to their political nature and that police and courts had closed cases against him years earlier.

The filing says Zahoor had previously taken legal action in Pakistan against VG and Wideroe, and that a court awarded him Rs3 million in damages in 2025 after the publication did not retract earlier reports. It adds that the Additional District Judge, Ferozwala, through an order dated March 15, 2025, directed VG and Wideroe to pay Rs3 million, including litigation costs, to Zahoor.

According to the complaint, the publication targeted him in coordination with Indian media and harmed his reputation at a time when, it says, he was respected in diplomatic circles internationally. The complaint also lists his business and diplomatic profile, saying he has worked on energy solutions in African countries, concluded transactions worth billions of dollars over the past decade in different countries, and has advised a royal family in the UAE on financial discipline. It further says he is the only Pakistani to have received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz twice in less than six months, in recognition of his role in attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in direct foreign investment and for his service during the Indo-Pakistan war.

The complaint further alleges that VG is known for anti-Islam and anti-Pakistani content and says the paper has long targeted Zahoor because of his religion and race, as well as for personal reasons. It also alleges that Wideroe acted with the help of Hartmann, who, according to the complaint, for some personal vendetta against the complainant, is always ready to make defamatory and malicious remarks against the complainant on the basis of the defamatory publications of the respondents, without any proof.

The filing says the respondents alleged Zahoor was wanted by the Norwegian government in a banking case from 2010, but concealed what it describes as the fact that he had not been to Norway since 2005. It also says investigations into allegations against him were conducted in Norway, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan during the PTI government in a case related to his ex-wife, and that he was cleared in all of them. The complaint says Interpol and the UAE government also cleared him after investigations.

Zahoor’s lawyer told the court that these facts were omitted from the reporting and argued that the respondents were publishing limited information in order to malign him. The lawyers also told the court that a similar malicious campaign had been launched against Zahoor during his role in the Iran-US peace process in which Pakistan is mediating talks in Islamabad, and that the latest article repeated old allegations.

“The purpose of this campaign is not only to tarnish the image of the complainant but also to taint the image of the Government of Pakistan and its functionaries. It is interesting to note that while relying on the article of tabloid, Indian media has also initiated a malicious campaign against the Government of Pakistan and Zahoor.”, he stated.

“That article in question is an ongoing onslaught by the respondents against the complainant in order to tarnish his reputation, dignity, honour, business and social status on account of racism, settling personal scores and for illegal/unlawful purposes. Besides that, the recent campaign is also meant to besmirch the improving global image of Pakistan.”, he added.

Norwegian police certificate cited in complaint

The report says a certificate issued by the Norwegian Police on March 16, 2026 stated that Zahoor has no criminal record in Norway. According to the certificate, issued by the Norwegian Finnmark Police District, he has no criminal record in the country’s police databases and no registered criminal sanctions or convictions within Norwegian jurisdiction, in line with the Police Databases Act.

Zahoor, who the report identifies as a former ambassador at large for the Republic of Liberia, argued in his complaint that the article revived allegations he said had long been settled and reproduced claims that the tabloid had been publishing for nearly 20 years. He said this caused fresh reputational damage in Pakistan and abroad at a time when he was involved in diplomatic activity connected to Pakistan’s mediation efforts.