Pakistan Today reported that The Telegraph made a statement in open court on March 17, 2025, withdrawing its earlier position that allegations about Zia Chishti were true and in the public interest. The report says the paper also agreed to pay Chishti damages and legal costs, but gives no amount. This reported resolution concerns The Telegraph’s coverage; it is not a court finding that every underlying allegation was false.
What The Telegraph reportedly withdrew
Pakistan Today reported that the statement concerned a series of Telegraph articles published from November 2021 to February 2023. The articles reported allegations made to the U.S. Congress by Tatiana Spottiswoode, a former employee of Afiniti, the company founded by Chishti.
According to Pakistan Today’s account, The Telegraph withdrew its earlier position that the allegations were true and that they had been made in the public interest. The report also says the publisher acknowledged that Chishti had consistently disputed Spottiswoode’s allegations and that Congress had not given him an opportunity to refute them. These points describe the statement as reported by Pakistan Today, rather than a finding on the truth of every allegation.
What the reported resolution included—and what is not known
Pakistan Today says The Telegraph agreed to pay Chishti substantial damages and legal costs. The reviewed report does not state the amount, so no specific figure can be confirmed from it. The Telegraph’s own page was not accessible in the targeted search, and the reported wording could not be independently checked against an accessible publisher statement.
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The report reproduces this sentence as wording from the open-court statement: “The Telegraph made a statement in open court that it withdraws its earlier position that the above allegations were true and that they were made in the public interest.” The sentence is quoted here as reproduced by Pakistan Today, not independently verified against a primary record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the separate U.S. case differs
The Telegraph development should not be confused with a separate U.S. lawsuit. In that case, Chishti and his wife sued Spottiswoode, her attorneys, and related parties. On July 7, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed dismissal with prejudice of the claims it reviewed, relying on privileges and other grounds described in its opinion.
The appellate opinion also discussed statements to The Telegraph that Chishti claimed were defamatory, but it addressed them as part of that separate case. It did not decide the terms or effect of the reported settlement with The Telegraph. The September 2024 district-court opinion likewise concerns the separate litigation, not the March 2025 reported settlement.
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