Court fixes Oct 15 for recording evidence

QWP MPA’s suit

PESHAWAR: A local court on Wednesday fixed October 15 for recording evidence in a defamation suit of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) lawmaker Bakht Baidar Khan against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.

District and Sessions Judge of Peshawar Abdur Rauf Khan did not record statements of three witnesses produced by MPA Bakht Baidar in the absence of the lawyer of Imran Khan.

The appellant had produced three tehsil nazims of Lower Dir, including Amanat Ali and Tauseef Umar for recording their statements as witnesses in the defamation suit.

The court stated that both statements of witnesses and their cross examination by the lawyer of Imran Khan will be done on the next date.

The QWP MPA 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.

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.