Imran served another notice in Rs10b defamation suit
Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif has served Imran a defamation notice over his 'malicious' accusations
July 21, 2017
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was sent a second notice on Friday to reply to a Rs10 billion defamation notice by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A Lahore district and sessions court — where the defamation suit has been filed — sent the notice to the PTI chief directing him to submit his reply by August 21.
The notice by the Punjab chief minister, which was filed under sections 4 and 9 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, states that Imran falsely accused Shehbaz of making him a financial offer for his 'silence over the Panama Papers case'.
The petition states that “the facts and circumstances giving rise to the filing of the instant suit are that since the last week of April 2017, the Defendant [Imran Khan] started uttering, spreading and resorting to the publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representations against the Plaintiff [Shehbaz].”
Moreover, it states that Imran claimed Shehbaz “offered to pay a sum of Rs10,000,000,000 to the Defendant in exchange for his withdrawing/backing-off from, or remaining silent on the issue of the Panama Papers case.”
The suit also states that Imran made the “utterly false statement” on different television shows as well as at a public gathering.
On April 25, Khan, during a gathering at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Lahore, alleged that he had been made an offer regarding the Panama case.
"Just imagine how much money he offered me to be silent — Rs10 billion! If he can offer me this much money, just imagine how much he could offer others. That is why if we don't maintain public pressure on this issue, then after two months it will be dragged to the next year," Khan had claimed.
In an interview televised following the statement, Khan refused to reveal the name of the person who made the offer but did state that this person was close to the Punjab chief minister.
In a press conference later in the day, the PTI chairman directly accused Shehbaz of using the law to his benefit. Khan said he was waiting for Shehbaz to take him to court as he would expose all the wrongdoings he [Shehbaz] has committed.
