Court defers hearing of PM Shehbaz’s defamation suit against Imran Khan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday told a court in Lahore that he did not send any legal notice to the TV channel on which the news of the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan’s accusation against him that he had offered him (Imran) Rs10 billion in return for not speaking on the Panama leaks case was aired, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.  

Speaking during the hearing of the Rs10 billion defamation suit he had filed against the PTI founder, the prime minister said neither he sent the notice nor did he deem it to be necessary. “This is true that I did not make the channel’s management or the TV anchor party to the case,” he added. 

Mian Muhammad Hussain Chotia, the counsel for Imran Khan, on the occasion, asked PM Shehbaz whether he could confirm that the former prime minister had approached any of those nine newspapers he (the prime minister) had mentioned in his suit for making the accusation.  

The PM replied, “I have no idea.”

Later, the case’s hearing was adjourned until June 2.

In his defamation suit, PM Shehbaz said Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations against him. 

He sought a decree for recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content.

Imran, in his reply to case, pointed out that the suit was filed after a delay of four years in 2021, saying one of his friends had told him that someone known to him and also the Sharif family had approached him with an offer to pay billions of rupees if he could convince him (Imran) to stop pursuing the Panama case. 
 

Reporter: Shaheen Atiq