PM vows to take Imran to court

Meeting led by PM decides to file defamation case against Imran over bribery allegation; contempt petition to be filed against PTI chief on his remarks about judges

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed to take the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to court on his allegation that the government had offered him Rs10 billion to stay silent on the Panama case in the Supreme Court.

At a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House on Thursday, the government decided to follow a proactive strategy by coming on the front foot in the face of allegation mongering by its detractors and as the first step, Imran Khan will be sued for claiming to have received an offer by the government to remain silent against Rs10 billion.

The meeting decided that a defamation case will be lodged against the PTI chief over the bribery allegation and a contempt of court petition will be filed against him on his remarks about the judges.

The meeting, chaired by the prime minister, was attended by Maryam Nawaz Sharif beside Nawaz Sharif’s political and legal associates. The participants were of the view that if the allegation levelled by Imran Khan was probed thoroughly, only a miracle could save him from disqualification from politics.

It is likely that some top jurists and lawyers would be engaged for filing the suit in a higher court. The notice will be served on Imran Khan as early as sometime next week for fulfillment of legal requirement. Criminal cases will be instituted against Imran Khan in various parts of the country. The government will also hire the services of distinguished lawyers to speed up proceedings against the PTI chief on account of various offences. The case filed by former member National Assembly Hanif Abbasi will be followed proactively.

Well-placed sources in the Prime Minister’s House told The News that Maryam Nawaz has assumed the role of political sheet-anchor of the House and she is regularly holding consultative meetings with the stalwarts of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) to deal with the emerging situation. The broad-based consultative meeting that was chaired by the prime minister was also attended by Adviser to PM on Law Barrister Zafarullah, Adviser on Culture Irfan Siddique and Special Assistant to the PM on Political Affairs Dr Asif Saeed Kirmani.

Dr Kirmani issued a hard-hitting statement about the PTI after the meeting and said that Imran Khan could be declared disqualified under Article 62/63 of the Constitution for lying. The possibility of legal action against Imran Khan couldn’t be ruled out. The special assistant to the PM also criticised the PTI for storming the PID Islamabad office on Thursday in a bid to occupy it.

“The PTI will not be permitted to capture the government institutions. It is the same gang that invaded the PTV headquarters and for the reason the whole world is aware of this gang’s vandalism and fascism,” he said. He reminded that they are the satans of politics and habitual liars who are desperate to reach the summit of power through character assassination of others, false allegation mongering and rowdy politics. “We will face and defeat them on every front. We will never let them succeed in their nefarious designs,” he added.