Defamation suit: Defence minister issued notice

Imran Khan wants specific section of minister’s reply in sessions court expunged.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) once again issued notice to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday in connection with a Rs10 billion defamation case by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief.

Imran Khan has challenged the legality and validity of the April 30, 2015 order of a Sessions court dismissing his application seeking to strike out several ‘unnecessary, irrelevant, scandalous and vague paragraphs’ from Asif’s statement in the defamation suit.

Justice Aamer Farooq issued notice to the defence minister as no one appeared before the court from his side despite an earlier notice. The case was adjourned till July 30.

Asif had submitted a written reply in the defamation case before the Sessions court saying Khan has consistently presented Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, a charitable national institute, as part of his political credentials.

The hospital was turned into reality by land grants constituting public funds conferred by the federal government and for this reason the hospital was never the personal property of any individual but the collective property of the people of Pakistan, he added.

Asif had said Khan, a cricket star and self-proclaimed messiah, has misrepresented, and let down, the very people before whom he seeks to protect his reputation by not having challenged the verdict of the Superior Court of California.

The Californian court had declared Khan the ‘father of a minor child Tyrian Jade whom the plaintiff illegitimately sired with one Ana Luise White --- also known as Sita White,’ Asif stated in his reply.

Khan had challenged that statement saying Asif made various malicious, irrelevant and unnecessary allegations regarding certain actions of the petitioner in complete disregard of their relevance to and admissibility in the suit.

The petitioner through his counsel Walid Iqbal contended that Asif’s statement would tend to prejudice, embarrass or delay the fair trial of the suit. Iqbal has prayed the court to set aside the April 30 order of the Sessions court.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhary had dismissed his application on April 30.

Khan took Asif to court after he blamed him of investing in Dubai with hospital donations.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2015.