Pakistan’s National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has issued summons to three Norwegian nationals to appear before an investigative panel in Lahore concerning a defamation case. The summons, issued under inquiry number ENQ-CCRC-Lahore-1878/26, require the individuals to present themselves on May 13 at 12pm at the Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Gulberg II, Lahore.
The individuals summoned include Rolf J Wideroe, a reporter for the right-wing Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG), prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann, and VG’s editor. The notices instruct them to provide their statements and share their perspective on the matter. The notification emphasizes that failure to appear will be interpreted as having no defense to offer.
These summons were authorized and signed by Sub-Inspector Nabil Hussain of the Cybercrime Reporting Centre Lahore. This action follows a criminal complaint filed by businessman and Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large on Economic Diplomacy, Umar Farooq Zahoor. Zahoor lodged the complaint in a Lahore court after VG, in collaboration with Indian media, allegedly launched a defamatory campaign against him.
The complaint, registered under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code, targets VG, its reporter Rolf J. Wideroe, and prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann for repeatedly maligning Zahoor. The businessman’s legal team contends that the publication falsely portrayed him as “wanted by Norwegian police” in an article published after Zahoor’s prominent diplomatic engagement in Islamabad. This engagement involved a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, along with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, related to the Iran-US peace dialogue facilitated by Pakistan.
