PTI chairman issued notice in CM’s defamation suit

A court employee delivered the notice at Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park


Our Correspondent July 22, 2017
PHOTO: AFP

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge again issued a notice to PTI chief Imran Khan by August 21 in a defamation suit filed by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif seeking Rs10 billion damages for tarnishing his reputation.

On Friday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan asked the process server (a court employee) where he had gone to deliver the notice and who had received it, he replied that he visited Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park where a man named Zahid had received the notice and had assured him it would be handed over to Imran Khan.

Shehbaz Sharif serves defamation notice to Imran Khan

However, the judge directed the process server to deliver the notice to Imran Khan through TCS and other services. He issued again the notice to Imran Khan by August 21.

In his complaint before the court, Shehbaz submitted that he belonged to a noble family and enjoyed an excellent reputation in both national and international circles, having a long and illustrious career in politics and public service to his credit.

He said after the general elections 2013, he was again elected an MPA and then as the Punjab chief minister for the third term and has served twice as president of PML-N. He implored he was widely known and respected for his credibility, hard work, integrity and competence.

He informed the court that the defendant Iman Khan, in last week of April 2017 started uttering, spreading, and resorting to the publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representations against the plaintiff to the effect that the plaintiff had, 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’s case.

Imran's PTI is hit with double whammy

He claimed the defendant ruined his image not only in the eyes of Pakistani nation but also in the people of the world. He implored that on April 28, Imran Khan held a public gathering in Parade Ground where he again repeated the "false allegations". He continued to call them “a mafia” and claimed he would not disclose the name of that person who offered him as he knew the PML-N leadership would create problems for him.

He further said false and defamatory statements widely communicated, circulated and disseminated through print and electronic media have caused him extreme mental torture, agony and anxiety. He appealed 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 and in his favour.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22nd, 2017.

COMMENTS (1)

Amir | 7 years ago | Reply why did it take so long to submit this?
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