Palijo takes author, publisher to court

A newspaper article claimed he received favours from Gen Zia

HYDERABAD: Veteran politician Rasool Bux Palijo has filed a defamation suit against an author of a newspaper article and the owner of a Sindhi daily for allegedly maligning his name. A Hyderabad district and sessions court issued notices to the respondents, Manzoor Solangi, the author, and Abdul Kareem Rajper, the publisher, to submit a reply on October 7.

Palijo, who was among the six persons nominated for the post of interim prime minister before the 2013 general elections, accused Solangi of maligning his name in his article by wrongfully claiming that he received favours from the former military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq. Solangi allegedly wrote that during his imprisonment in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Palijo was visited by Gen Ghulam Jeelani and he later received financial benefits through contracts in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and other cities of Pakistan.



Palijo, the elderly head of the political party Awami Tehreek, wears many hats. For his political struggles, he remained in prison for 11 years. He has also authored around 40 books on a variety of subjects including politics and literature.