‘Rs10b bribe offer’: Shehbaz files defamation suit against Imran

Lahore district and sessions court has sought PTI chief's response on July 21

ISLAMABAD: A court in Lahore on Friday issued notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan over a defamation suit filed by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for claiming the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) offered him Rs10 billion to stay mum on the Panama Papers case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan issued orders for the PTI chief seeking his response on July 21. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother has sought Rs10 billion in damages from the cricketer-turned-politician under sections 4 and 9 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002.

The eight-page petition has been filed though former advocate general for Punjab Mustafa Ramday. “A decree for the recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for the publication of the aforesaid defamatory content be passed against the defendant [Imran] and in favour of the plaintiff [Shahbaz],” according to a copy of the application available with The Express Tribune.



In his plea, the CM has submitted that the defendant, Iman Khan, in last week of April 2017 started uttering, spreading, and resorting to the publication, communication and circulation “maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representations” against the plaintiff.

“[Imran claimed that] the plaintiff through some persons/relative apparently known to the defendant as well, offered to pay a sum of Rs10 billion to the defendant in exchange for his withdrawing and backing off from, or remaining silent on the issue of Panama Paper.

“On April 28, 2017 the defendant held a public gathering where he again repeated this false allegation. He continued to call them ‘a mafia’ and claimed he would not disclose name of the person who offered him money as he knew the PML-N leadership would create problem for him,” said the petitioner.

The CM has contended that the false and defamatory statements having been widely communicated, circulated, disseminated and got broadcast, inter alia, through print and electronic media, lowered, and/or tended to lower the plaintiff in the estimation of others and reduce him to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike, hatred and contempt and caused him extreme mental torture, agony and anxiety.

“[The plaintiff, therefore, requests] the court that a decree for recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for the publication of the aforesaid defamatory content be passed against the defendant [Imran Khan] and in his favour,” the petitioner submitted.

This is not the first damages suit filed against the PTI chairman. A few other important figures, including former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and senior journalist Najam Sethi are already into litigation against the PTI chief for his ‘slanderous remarks’ against them. However, decisions on these cases are pending.

Similarly, some PTI and PML-N leaders have been pursuing damages suits against each other in Islamabad district courts since the last general elections. Imran had moved a defamation case against Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. PTI General Secretary Jahangir Tareen had also filed Rs30 billion damages suit against the Punjab chief minister over the allegation that he had his loans written off.



Ineffective defamation laws

Legal experts believe that defamation laws are ineffective in Pakistan as there is hardly any case where a verdict could be rendered against a politician for levelling baseless allegations against his rival.

Former Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman Farogh Nasim says the courts don’t give priority to defamation matters due to pendency of cases of different nature. He believes special judges should be deputed to decide such matters.

Another PBC executive member Raheel Kamran Sheikh believes that plaintiffs in defamation cases don’t take the proceedings seriously after filing their cases. “The petitioners use damages suits as ‘deterrence’ against their rivals.”



Sheikh also contends that if the courts pass verdicts against politicians in defamation cases, then their implications can be dreadful for them as they could be disqualified on the basis of courts’ findings. “Under the law, the courts are bound to adjudicate damages suit within six months but unfortunately, this is not happening in the country.”