Court fixes July 16 for recording evidence

QWP lawmaker’s defamation suit

PESHAWAR: A local court on Monday fixed July 16 for recording evidence in a defamation suit of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) lawmaker Bakht Baidar Khan against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

District and Sessions Judge (DSJ) Peshawar Abdur Rauf Khan fixed July 16 for recording evidence in the case as the QWP MPA Bakht Baidar had already submitted a list of witnesses in the case. Babar Khan Yousafzai appeared as counsel for Bakht Baidar in the case. 

Though the QWP has rejoined the PTI-led provincial government, the legal battle of its lawmaker Bakht Baidar and PTI Chairman Imran Khan continued in the court as he claimed that he was contesting the case for restoring people’s confidence damaged by the PTI chairman’s statements of corruption against him.

As per the record of the case, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had fired two QWP ministers, including environment minister Ibrar Hussain and labour minister Bakht Baidar, on the directives of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on corruption charges. 

Later, Bakht Baidar filed a defamation suit of Rs1 billion against the PTI chairman for removing him from the cabinet without any proof of his alleged corruption. The court directed Imran Khan to submit reply which he did. The defamation suit filed by Bakht Baidar under Section 9 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002 reads, “The blended allegations levelled by the defendant (Imran Khan) against the plaintiff (Bakht Baidar) are highly mischievous and farther from the truth. It has been, and is made, to harm the reputation of the plaintiff in the eyes of the public at large, and in the eyes of his party, colleagues, peers and family in particular.”

In his written reply, Imran Khan had stated that after the May 11 general election, QWP became coalition partner of PTI and the plaintiff was awarded portfolio of population welfare and labour. It was stated in the reply that the plaintiff assumed the post of chairman of Workers Welfare Board (WWB) without any legal justification. He alleged that Bakht Baidar started exercising the powers of employment of staff, establishment of schools and their financial matters.

It was alleged that he had appointed 110 male and 85 female teachers in the Working Folks Grammar Schools in Dir. Also, it was alleged that at the behest of the plaintiff the then WWB secretary Tariq Awan recruited 557 teachers and other staff members from October 1 to November 8, 2013.

In his reply, Imran Khan stated that on October 12, 2012 the plaintiff reinstated the suspended deputy director works Niamatullah Gandapur, and also released his salaries and other allowances of about Rs5 million for the period of his suspension. It was added that the plaintiff was provided an official vehicle, which was used by his brother and an amount of Rs0.7 million was received on account of fuel and maintenance of the said vehicle.

Imran Khan stated that when these irregularities committed by the plaintiff surfaced, the chief minister sacked him. He argued that the chief minister had exercised his constitutional powers and was not answerable to any court. He requested the court to dismiss the suit as it was not maintainable.