LAHORE: Pakistani digital creator Rajab Butt has sent his former wife, Iman Asad, another legal notice for defamation. At about the same time, Canadian-Pakistani comedian Zaid Ali criticised him sharply during a TikTok live session.
Rajab Butt has 9 million subscribers on YouTube, 3 million followers on Instagram and about 1 million on TikTok. He is once again in the news because of his dispute with his former wife.
Iman Asad’s lawyer said Rajab Butt has sent his client another defamation notice.
According to the lawyer, the notice alleges that Iman Asad has been making and sharing comments, reels and videos to damage Rajab Butt’s reputation. Rajab Butt reportedly sent the notice, covering both defamation and custody of their son, on his former wife’s birthday.
The lawyer said the notice did not include any evidence for the allegations. The lawyer said they have filed a reply to the notice and asked for evidence so they can understand and assess the allegations. The lawyer also said the notice appears to be an attempt to harass their client.
Rajab Butt had not publicly commented on the lawyer’s statements at the time of filing. A legal notice is a formal demand. It is not a court case, but it is often a first step before one.
In a separate development, Zaid Ali harshly criticised Rajab Butt during a TikTok live session. Zaid Ali is known for comedy videos about South Asian culture.
Replying to a user’s comment, Zaid Ali said follower and subscriber counts are not a measure of success. He said the respect a person earns in society matters more than numbers.
He then made a pointed remark about Rajab Butt. He said even a donkey works hard to make a name for itself, but Rajab Butt had not worked hard for anything.
Zaid Ali admitted that Rajab Butt has more subscribers than he does and congratulated him on that. But he said that however high the social media numbers are, respect is far more important.
He claimed that Rajab Butt had always used shortcuts, or any means available, to get as many followers as possible, and that he had succeeded. But in Zaid Ali’s view, despite that success, Rajab Butt had not earned the public respect that real success requires.
Zaid Ali also rejected Rajab Butt’s reported description of him as a “vlogger”. He said his main work is making comedy videos and that he is not interested in vlogging about his daily routine.
He also said his followers have always stood firmly behind him, while in his view Rajab Butt does not have that kind of moral support.
This is not Rajab Butt’s first controversy. He recently claimed to have become a billionaire. He also faces court proceedings in Lahore, where charges were not framed in the Ayesha Jutt case because his counsel was absent. Earlier this week, Ring Road police fined him and Syed Haider Rs3,600.
The public argument between two of the best-known Pakistani creators touches on a wider debate in the industry: whether large follower counts should be treated as influence, and what responsibility comes with that reach. For now, both the legal dispute with Iman Asad and the online argument with Zaid Ali are continuing, and no side has backed down.
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