Concocted charges: Court takes up Jang/Geo damages suit against Imran today

ISLAMABAD: The third hearing of Rs1 billion damages suit by Jang/Geo Group against PTI chief Imran Khan will take place here today (Thursday) in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ-East) Sikandar Khan.

Imran Khan has repeatedly levelled concocted allegations against the Jang/Geo group and it Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, forcing the latter to move court against him, demanding unconditional apology, retraction of all the allegations and Rs1 billion as damages.

After issuance of initial notices after the preliminary hearing, Imran Khan neither appeared before court on March 9 in person nor through his counsel. Imran, in the past, avoided appearance before courts in different cases but eventually he had to appear. It remains to be seen whether he appears before court today or not.

The plaintiff has attached transcripts and summaries of the Imran Khan’s statements as well as clippings from the print media. Imran Khan has repeatedly levelled extremely serious but baseless allegations against the Jang/Geo Group, accusing its editor-in-chief of being an Indian and American agent, besides calling him a blackmailer and Firoun.

Crux of the Imran’s allegations is that the Jang/ Geo group had obtained undue financial benefits from the erstwhile prime minister of Pakistan and had resultantly engaged in propaganda/misreporting of facts as to support him.

Also, many of the false allegations made by Imran Khan over the years against the plaintiff had been previously aired by the ARY News. Followed by a successful defamation action by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman against ARY News before the High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, the United Kingdom, wherein the said court awarded damages. Such cases by Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief have been pending with courts in Pakistan for almost four years.