ISLAMABAD: A sessions court in Lahore has reserved its verdict on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s petition to make the legal notice a part of the record in his defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
Additional Sessions Judge Yilmaz Ghani heard the arguments from both parties today before reserving the verdict. The court will announce its judgement on PM Shehbaz’s plea on July 10.
PM Shehbaz had filed a defamation suit against the PTI founder over his allegations on a TV channel, over which the former has claimed that it damaged his reputation and demanded Rs10 billion in damages.
In the defamation suit, the prime minister stated that the PTI founder had alleged in a TV programme on April 26, 2017, that he was offered Rs10 billion bribe by PM Shehbaz for keeping silent over the Panama Papers case.
The premier stated that the allegations levelled against him were not only false but also defamatory. He added that the PTI founder failed to tender a publicly broadcast apology, despite being served a legal notice in May 2017 over his allegations.
The court was requested to issue a decree for the recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for the defamatory remarks in favour of the plaintiff.
During a hearing on May 17, PM Shehbaz appeared via video link and was cross-examined by the PTI founder’s counsel.
Responding to questions during cross-examination, the prime minister reiterated that the PTI founder had accused him of offering Rs10 billion bribe. The PM argued that the allegation amounted to serious defamation and claimed that its impact was more damaging than “millions of pamphlets” against him.
PM Shehbaz stated that he was unaware whether the PTI founder later denied the claim in a television interview. He acknowledged that his name was not explicitly mentioned in that particular conversation, but maintained that the overall context of the PTI founder’s remarks pointed directly toward him.
He also told the court that, while he had no knowledge of any written or printed material — such as posters or pamphlets — circulated personally by the PTI founder, the televised allegations constituted a serious attack on his reputation.
Earlier, PTI founder Imran Khan on Wednesday brought his legal battle against a Rs10 billion defamation lawsuit, filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to the Supreme Court.
The petition challenges a lower court’s procedural handling of the case, which has been pending since 2017.
The lawsuit was originally filed by PM Shehbaz, then the chief minister of Punjab, after Khan alleged in a television interview that he was offered a Rs10bn bribe.
Mr Khan claimed the offer was made on behalf of PM Shehbaz and his family to persuade him to drop the Panama Papers case against ex-PM Nawaz Sharif. –Agencies
