LAHORE Nov 22 (TNS): Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday appealed to a local court hearing his R10 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to decide it at the earliest.
An application for early disposal of the suit was filed today by the plaintiff copy of which was delivered to the learned counsel for the respondent with a directive that reply to this application be submitted on the next date of hearing and extend arguments on both the applications, an application under Order 7 Rule 10 CPC as well as application for early disposal of the suit for 5- 12- 2017.
Shehbaz sued the PTI chairman for Rs10 billion damages for accusing him of offering a bribe to stay silent over the Panama Papers allegations against the Sharif family.
Shahbaz through his lawyer filed an application in the court, submitting that PTI chief Imran Khan was using delaying tactics to prolong the matter. As per the relevant law, the court is bound to decide the case within 90 days, he argued.
In his suit, Shehbaz Sharif said,“The defendant (Imran Khan) levelled maliciously false, baseless and unfounded allegations against him.” “He also levelled the same allegations no less than three times in television programme aired on April 26 this year.”
The plaintiff said that he had served a legal notice through his counsel on the defendant on May 8, 2017, under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002 calling upon him to tender a proper apology within 14 days of the receipt of the notice. Upon failing, he warned, he will initiate legal action against the defendant for recovery of Rs10 billion as damages under the law. However, Khan failed to tender an apology.
The baseless and defamatory statements by the defendant were widely circulated by media, lowered the integrity of the plaintiff and caused him extreme mental torture, agony and anxiety.
The notice served to the PTI chief called for a publicly broadcast apology for allegedly defaming the chief minister or Sharif’s lawyer will initiate legal action for the recovery of Rs10bn in damages.
“In terms of Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002, if within 14 days of the receipt of this legal notice you do not tender a proper apology to my client and get the same published through print and electronic media in the same manner and with the same prominence as the publication of the defamatory statement and representation made by [Khan] against my client, I have clear instructions from my client to initiate on his behalf legal action against you, inter alia, for the recovery of a sum of Rs10bn as damages under the Ordinance on account of the defamation committed by you,” the notice read.
Sharif’s lawyer said that considering the seriousness of defamatory allegations and consistency with which he levelled allegations, his client is entitled to a claim of compensation.
With the Panama Papers revelations about the first family’s London properties having triggered a political storm in Pakistan, the PTI chairman went to claim that the Punjab CM had offered him Rs10 billion through one of his close associates to stay silent over the Panamagate case.
Subsequently, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders had demanded of Khan to disclose the name of the person who conveyed the offer to him. To which the PTI chairman said that over the disclosure of the name, the person could face the wrath of the rulers, as what he had said, the ruling party was not a democratic party but a group of fascists scapegoating others to safeguard their personal interests.
Despite stirring up a hornet’s nest, Khan has yet to reveal the identity of the individual who offered the bribe, although he has insisted that the person lives in Lahore and that he will reveal his identity in court.
