LAHORE March 24 (TNS): Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s counsel on Saturday pleaded a local court hearing his R10 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan to adjudicate the case at the earliest.
Shahbaz has sued the PTI chief after the letter accused him of offering him a bribe to remain silent on the Panama Papers scandal involving the Sharif family.
During the hearing, the judge directed the lawyers representing the chief minister and the PTI chief to show up well prepared at the next hearing on April 21 to put argue in the instant case.
Shahbaz’s lawyer complained that Khan was using delaying tactics to prolong the case. As per the law, the court is bound to decide the case within 90 days, he argued.
In his suit, Shahbaz has said: “The defendant (Imran Khan) has levelled maliciously false, baseless and unfounded allegations against me.” “He also levelled the same allegations no less than three times in a television programme aired on April 26 this year.” The plaintiff said that he had served a legal notice on the defendant on May 8, 2017, asking him to tender a proper apology within 14 days, otherwise, he will initiate legal action against the defendant involving Rs10 billion in damages. He said that Khan failed to tender an apology.
Sharif’s lawyer said that considering the seriousness of defamatory allegations and consistency with which Khan had levelled allegations, his client was entitled to the claim of compensation.
The PTI chief had earlier claimed that the Shahbaz had offered him Rs10 billion through one of their common friends to remain silent on the Panamagate issue.
Imran, however, failed to name the person who was ready to play the role of an interlocutor between the two.
