Zulfi sends defamation notice to Bilawal

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been served a £100 million defamation notice by former special assistant to the prime minister on overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari.

Bukhari served the notice after the PPP chairman raised objections over reports of the former aide's alleged visit to Israel.

Criticising the government over the move, Bilawal, in a press conference on June 28, said that the government must "reveal the details of Zulfi Bukhari's alleged visit to Israel."

"There are reports that an aeroplane flew to Israel from Pakistan, so the government must clarify the details of the route before the nation," said Bilawal.

He questioned: "If a plane had flown to Israel via Pakistan, then who granted permission for that?"

He further added that since the Israeli newspaper published the report after approval from the country's defence ministry, there is something suspicious about the entire story.

Bukhari, in a tweet, said that after consultations with his legal team, he decided to serve the PPP chairman the defamation notice for his recent "irresponsible remarks".

"His poor understanding about most things again made him blurt out things fed to him, provoking issues he knows nothing about," the former aide said.

In the notice issued to Bilawal, Bukhari has asked him to acknowledge receipt of the notice, withdraw his comments clearly (in black and white), publicly apologise over national media, take an oath to not utter such defamatory remarks against him again and propose payment for damages caused.

The legal notice also states that if Bilawal does not do the above within 14 days, then legal action would be taken against him.