PTI denies hiring Rushdie’s lawyer

PML-N had accused Imran of appointing Robertson to represent him in international court

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday vehemently denied allegations of appointing the lawyer of Salman Rushdie – whose sacrilegious writings made him the target of death threats – as Chairman Imran Khan’s legal counsel in the international court.

A PTI spokesperson censured the circulation of “misleading” information regarding a foreign law firm, clarifying that there was no truth to such claims nor did any such thought have the backing of the party chief.

In a statement, he noted the party chairman had been targeted with over 180 false and fabricated cases filed during the last 16 months.

The spokesperson said that a former premier and his party, PTI, which according to him was the largest and most popular political party in Pakistan, were being subjected to the worst form of revenge in the nation's history.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI chief of hiring Rushdie’s lawyer.

He made these remarks during a news conference at the party's secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town.

Tarar expressed his party's reluctance to intertwine politics with religion but explained that a crucial issue had compelled him to address the matter.

He alleged that Imran had appointed lawyer Geoffrey Robertson to represent him in the international court, claiming that the PTI chairman was approaching the international court against his own country.

Tarar questioned the necessity of Imran appointing Rushdie’s lawyer as his counsel in the face of international litigation.

He argued, "Is there no other competent lawyer in the world? Geoffrey Robertson had also been Rushdie's lawyer.
He questioned, “Is politics so critical that you hire this counsel against your own country in international courts.”

He added that the lawyer had also offended the Christian community by publishing blasphemous material against Hazrat Isa (AS), adding that he had also written reports in favour of Indian Army and against Pakistan Army about the 1971 war.