Shahbaz’s Rs10 bn defamation suit: Imran fails to appear in court again

LAHORE: While Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan again failed to appear before a judge, his lawyer challenged the jurisdiction of the court in the Rs10 billion defamation suit, filed by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Abdul Ghaffar resumed the hearing on Monday, directing the parties to come up with their arguments on the next date of hearing on October 19.

Shahbaz Sharif had filed the defamation suit through his counsel Mustafa Ramday over the allegation that he offered Imran Khan Rs10 billion bribe for withdrawing the Panama Papers case against former premier Nawaz Sharif. The lawsuit was filed under sections 4 and 9 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002.

The suit said Imran Khan’s allegation tended to lower the esteem of Shahbaz Sharif in the eyes of the public and reduce him to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike and causing him extreme mental torture.

“Either Imran tender an apology or withdraw the allegations,” the suit demanded.Sabah adds: During the hearing, Imran’s counsel claimed that the case was out of the court jurisdiction. The lawyer asked the court to further extend the hearing of the case; however, the court turned it down.

The case was filed in the court of Lahore Additional District and Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan under sections 4 (defamation actionable) and 9 (remedies) of Defamation Ordinance 2002. The petition states that the facts and circumstances giving rise to the filing of the instant suit are that since the last week of April 2017, the defendant [Imran Khan] started uttering, spreading and resorting to the publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representations against the Plaintiff Shahbaz.