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Maria B says was ‘exercising right to free speech’ in reply to NCCIA in trans community defamation case
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Maria B says was ‘exercising right to free speech’ in reply to NCCIA in trans community defamation case

The designer says she was expressing 'reasonable opinions on matters of public concern' in her social media posts.
Rana Bilal
09 Sep, 2025

Designer Maria Butt — known more popularly as Maria B — has submitted her defence to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a complaint made in August relating to the designer’s anti-transgender rhetoric on social media. The complaint was filed against her by Saima Butt for defaming the transgender community.

The designer had designated her lawyer to appear before the NCCIA on September 2. In the response submitted by Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq on behalf of Maria B, a copy of which is available with Images, she claimed she was exercising her right to free speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution. The response states that the designer was expressing “reasonable opinions on matters of public concern” and that her post was made “within the ambit of lawful expression” and in “good faith and for the larger public good”.

The response argues that, because the people in the video the designer posted were hardly visible and wearing masks, her post can not be taken as defamation against any individual. The complaint, Maria B’s statement claimed, was made with “malicious intent” to harass her.

The Lahore police booked around 60 transgender persons and others in August and arrested some of them for allegedly organising an “objectionable” private party after Maria B uploaded photos and videos of it on her social media accounts. Later, a magistrate dismissed the case against the transgender persons after no incriminating material was found connecting them with the commission of the alleged offences.

She had posted videos on her social media accounts, demanding action against “transgender activists” that she claimed featured in the clips, terming such gatherings “against the moral values of the country”.

This is not the first time the designer has made anti-trans remarks on her social media accounts. Recently, she celebrated the banning of a screening of Joyland in Lahore, describing it as a “shameful transgender satanic show”. Joyland is a film and was Pakistan’s official Oscars submission for the year 2023.

Comments

JAMIL SOOMRO Sep 09, 2025 04:28pm
It is totally incomprehensible as to why Maria is being unnecessarily harassed.? All she has said and done is strictly against the moral values of Pakistan. Since when did the upholding of values become a crime.?
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Falcon1 Sep 09, 2025 04:31pm
She seems to make the news for all the WRONG reasons, every month!!
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mairaj Sep 09, 2025 05:22pm
These radicals only cry free speech when they are being attacked, like those taliban who start screaming from UN, Democracy, and Human rights when people fight back.
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M. Saeed Sep 09, 2025 10:14pm
Maria B again in the news? She does not command any wholesome popularity to look for!
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Queen Sep 10, 2025 08:18am
More power to Maria B.
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Qamar Mahmood Sep 10, 2025 10:49am
what about their right to free speech? Is it only the privileged like her who can exercise their right to free speech?
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Usman Ali Sep 10, 2025 11:44am
She claims freedom of speech for herself and at the same time celebrating the banning of a movie Joyland. Freedom of speech if selectively applied to Maria B is not a true freedom then. The principle should apply to everyone and therefore, to the transgender community as well.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Sep 10, 2025 12:45pm
She must know, realize, comprehend and understand that in essence, there is not much freedom to free speech in any country in South Asia in general and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in particular.
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shida Sep 10, 2025 08:18pm
Maria b as always poking her nose where its not required.
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Laila Sep 11, 2025 01:02am
@Jamil Soomro It's not incomprehensible. She is not being harassed. Let's not pretend she is a victim. She must be held accountable for her defamatory statements about people. The court is the place to prove her accusations. You can look up what defamation is, what free speech is and how it works. Otherwise you must agree she regularly harasses other people by suing people left and right. Just because you agree with her opinions, which I don't think you are entirely familiar with, does not mean the law doesn't apply to her. Some might say she is harassing an already marginalised, abused and ostracized minority group of people. And no, that doesn't mean o agree with the whole transgender thing.
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Laila Sep 11, 2025 01:05am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Free speech never was, is not and never will be absolute. Irrespective of country. Free speech is subject to local laws, restrictions etc. Defamation is one such restriction.
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Laila Sep 11, 2025 12:05pm
In my view, transgenders can dress however they like - in privacy of their home. As citizens they must have access to halal work, education, equal opportunities, legal rights and protection. Unless they go through sex change operations (like Iran or West), publicly they must identify with the gender, they are born with. But if Maria B would like for authorities to interfere inside private homes/events, then we should include heterosexual homes too, because many of them also engage in depravities and immoralities incl sexual perversions like rape, incest, unnatural and unlawful sex. Victims, predominantly children and females, stay silent due to taboo, ghar bachana and izzat. Read the news. Let's not forget how "shareef men" force transgenders into mujra and prostitution (the real qoum e loot acts). It's hard to believe this is a Muslim country. Denial wont erase the truth. Maybe Maria can start talking about that and initiate action like protests, marches and sit-ins outside parliament and government buildings. But that would be real selfless action and just get in the way of her tone deaf, vacuous, vapid and priveleged lifestyle and social media presence, where she daily shows off her social and fashion activities. Wolf in sheep clothing who knows exactly how to impress the jahil awam. One law for all. Maria B included. Hope she enjoys her time in court.
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Laila Sep 11, 2025 01:01pm
Maria B's only focus/obsession is with transgenders. No idea why. She is silent on actual rampant issues like: - Rampant sexual abuse of male children - Human trafficking run by nationwide gang networks with the covert support of complicit authorities. - Gender based violence targeting females with sexual, physical, emotional, mental violence (including domestic violence, child brides, forced marriages, rapes, marital rapes, harassment) - Honor killings, social control and honor crimes to subjugate and oppress females as if they are property of males - Legal deprivation of basic rights for females under the false guise of religion (consent, choice, autonomy etc) - Sexual deviant and unnatural sexual depravities taking place in average shareef straight heterosexual and non-transgender Pakistani Muslim homes with victims coerced into silence to save marriage, home and honor - Forcing transgenders to perform at weddings, at all male audience Mujras and of course prostitution with all male clients. - The rampant male on male sexual activities hiding in plain sight in Pakistan. All done by the so-called shareef, izzat daar, ghairetmund, straight Muslim males. This is a islamic republic? Maria B's silence on actual issues is deafening. I guess it doesn't fit into her performative activism and attention seeking self promotive agenda. She must learn the law works both ways and if she can sue people, then people can also sue her.
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