Defamation case against Gill put off

LAHORE: Additional District and Sessions Judge Zulifqar Ali on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of a defamation suit against Special Adviser to Prime Minister Shahbaz Gill by Jan 16. The court is likely to frame charges against Gill on next hearing.

The defamation suit against Gill was filed by Platform Tourism Company, a company under the umbrella of Albayrak Group.

The petition stated that Albayrak is doing construction, waste management and transport business in Pakistan, Somalia and other countries.

The petition said that Albayrak Group had introduced an 18-meter-long metro bus in Pakistan, which is better than normal bus. However, Shahbaz Gill made a statement against the petitioner on Sept 26, 2020, in a TV programme, alleging the petitioner had contracted the metro bus project with the government on the rate of 3.68 dollars per kilometer out of which Salman Shahbaz was paid 1.85 dollars per kilometer as bribe.

The petitioner stated that the allegations of corruption are false and baseless.

It stated that Shahbaz Gill had accused the company of indulging in corruption without any evidence thus affecting its repute.

It claimed that due to Gill’s campaign against the platform company, it had lost millions of dollars.

Shahbaz Gill after the hearing told media that when the contract was given by Shahbaz Sharif, a single company had made the bidding.

But now in the PTI government three companies had participated in the bidding and the same contract was given on 100 per cent fewer rates, Gill claimed. Tender on high rates was given just for corruption and commission, Gill alleged.

Now the same company is running the business on fewer rates, he added.

“I am not worried about cases, I am a warrior of Imran Khan against the mafia, he concluded.