Religious scholar Nasir Madni has publicly apologised to actress Momina Iqbal and her family after his earlier remarks against her sparked backlash and led to a legal dispute.
The apology came days after Momina served him a legal notice demanding Rs190 million in damages, a retraction of his statements and a public apology within one week.
In a recent speech, Nasir Madni directly addressed Momina Iqbal and her family.
“I would like to say to Momina Iqbal Sahiba that we also apologize to you and your family members,” he said.
He added that if any of his statements felt personally offensive to her, then everyone present with him also apologised publicly.
“Yes, we publicly apologize,” Madni said, while urging people to stand up for women and daughters.
‘Daughters deserve respect’
During the address, Madni stressed that women should be treated with dignity and respect. He asked those present to stand with the minor girl raped and killed in Sargodha. He also mentioned Momina’s sister, Rimsha Iqbal, calling her “a big name in the field of law” and saying she had made a name for herself.
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He said everyone should stand up for all Pakistani daughters and avoid harming anyone’s honour. “Daughters are daughters; it doesn’t matter to whom they belong,” he said, adding in Punjabi, “Dhi te aakhir dhi hundi ae.”
Earlier remarks sparked controversy
The controversy began after Nasir Madni made remarks against Momina Iqbal in a video that later went viral on social media.
In his signature recitation style, he referred to Momina’s Islamic name and allegedly said she had been doing “acts like a devil.”
In another viral video, Madni allegedly called the actress “satanic” and “avaricious.” He also accused her of accepting financial benefits before filing harassment allegations against Punjab MPA Saqib Chadhar.
Momina Iqbal sent legal notice
After the remarks went viral, Momina Iqbal sent Madni a legal notice through Advocate Adnan Ahsan Khan. The notice demanded Rs190 million in damages, a public apology and a complete retraction of his statements within a week.
It cited Madni’s remarks made on June 14 and 15, describing them as “highly defamatory, scandalous, humiliating and derogatory.”
According to the notice, Madni’s remarks caused serious damage to Momina Iqbal’s reputation and led to mental agony and public character assassination. The legal notice cited the Defamation Ordinance 2002, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and the Pakistan Penal Code 1860.
Momina’s sister, Rimsha Iqbal, also pursued the case against Nasir Madni.
Momina had responded on Instagram
Before sending the legal notice, Momina Iqbal responded to Madni’s allegations on Instagram. She said that making accusations without evidence and damaging someone’s honour are grave sins in Islam.
Momina also said she would not forgive him for the remarks.
Nasir Madni’s apology has since circulated widely on social media, drawing mixed reactions from users.
Some social media users said his “software has been successfully updated,” while others said they supported respect for women such as Momina Iqbal in a male-dominated society.
However, some users argued that Madni had not said anything wrong.
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