CJ’s defamation notice: Reply submitted and withdrawn on Imran’s instructions, says lawyer
Admits legal team’s efforts have failed to ease clash between Imran and ex-CJ
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has withdrawn his written response to former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry’s defamation notice.
A member of PTI’s legal team told The Express Tribune that the reply was submitted on Imran’s instructions and the party has now withdrawn it. He further stated that the party has also decided to disassociate itself from this matter. He admitted that the legal team’s efforts have failed to ease the ongoing clash between Imran and the former chief justice.
“We gave him [Imran] advice that he should not start a confrontation with the judiciary because it will be very harmful for the party in the future, but some elements around Imran are misguiding him,” he said.
“We gave a soft reply on behalf of Imran to the former chief justice’s defamation notice because the party’s lawyers do not want to fight on so many fronts at this time.” He said that senior lawyer Wajiuddin Ahmed was also part of the legal team, which had prepared that reply.
A party source claimed that it had been agreed earlier between Imran’s lawyers and the former chief justice that a defamation suit would not be filed in court. The PTI lawyer said a reply was given to the former chief justice with the chairman’s approval.
In response to Iftikhar Chaudhry’s defamation notice, Imran had denied using ‘scandalous language’ against the judiciary and requested the former chief justice to reconsider filing the damage suit against him.
In his eight-page response, which was filed through two of his senior lawyers Hamid Khan and Ahmad Awais on August 2 but emerged on Monday, the PTI chief said it would not be appropriate for a former chief justice to enter into personal litigation.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2014.
Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has withdrawn his written response to former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry’s defamation notice.
A member of PTI’s legal team told The Express Tribune that the reply was submitted on Imran’s instructions and the party has now withdrawn it. He further stated that the party has also decided to disassociate itself from this matter. He admitted that the legal team’s efforts have failed to ease the ongoing clash between Imran and the former chief justice.
“We gave him [Imran] advice that he should not start a confrontation with the judiciary because it will be very harmful for the party in the future, but some elements around Imran are misguiding him,” he said.
“We gave a soft reply on behalf of Imran to the former chief justice’s defamation notice because the party’s lawyers do not want to fight on so many fronts at this time.” He said that senior lawyer Wajiuddin Ahmed was also part of the legal team, which had prepared that reply.
A party source claimed that it had been agreed earlier between Imran’s lawyers and the former chief justice that a defamation suit would not be filed in court. The PTI lawyer said a reply was given to the former chief justice with the chairman’s approval.
In response to Iftikhar Chaudhry’s defamation notice, Imran had denied using ‘scandalous language’ against the judiciary and requested the former chief justice to reconsider filing the damage suit against him.
In his eight-page response, which was filed through two of his senior lawyers Hamid Khan and Ahmad Awais on August 2 but emerged on Monday, the PTI chief said it would not be appropriate for a former chief justice to enter into personal litigation.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2014.