LAHORE - A sessions court on Monday directed the parties to come up with arguments on a defamation suit filed by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who had accused him of offering him bribe to withdraw the Panama Papers case.
Additional District & Sessions Judge Chaudhary Zulfiqar took up the case and adjourned the proceedings until Oct 19.
Arguing before the court, Advocate Mustafa Ramday, counsel for Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said that Imran Khan levelled false allegations of bribery against his client. He said that Imran Khan had said in April that a common friend offered him Rs10 billion on behalf of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for withdrawal of Panama Papers case.
The plaintiff’s counsel said it was a serious allegation levelled by Imran Khan against his client that badly damaged his repute. He said the allegation also caused a serious mental agony and stress to his client.
The counsel prayed to the court to issue a decree for recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for publication of defamatory content.
Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif, through a legal notice, asked Imran Khan to name the person within 14 days who reached out to him on his behalf with an offer of Rs 10 billion against withdrawal of Panama Papers case. He said otherwise the court would be moved against him.
It was the second legal notice by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his private capacity. In October last year, he served a legal notice of Rs26 billion on Imran Khan over allegations of corruption against him and demanded that Khan tender an apology.
It was an unprecedented notice in terms of amount of Rs26 billion, as no political leader in the near past had filed any such legal notice of heavy amount to his rivals.
The notice stated that the allegations levelled against Shehbaz Sharif were false, unfounded and malicious and motivated by the intent to malign and harm his reputation.
On Oct 26, the chief minister held a press conference and said: “Imran Khan accused me of Rs26 billion corruption. Today, I will announce Rs26 billion defamation lawsuit against Imran Khan.”
"Whether a reply comes or not, I will approach the court. If the court proves the allegations against me, then my children and I will forever leave politics. But if court proves him wrong, then the nation will make a decision," he said. However, the PTI filed a suit against Shehbaz Sharif before Islamabad sessions court, which was still pending.
SC moved for disqualification of MPs
A constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking disqualification of all parliamentarians who voted in favour of the Election Act 2017.
Gohar Nawaz Sindhu of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf filed the petition in the SC Lahore Registry.
The said law allowed ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to become president of PML-N despite his disqualification in Panama Papers case.
The counsel said that parliamentarians violated provisions of Article 62 of the Constitution by voting for the new election reforms law. He submitted that the whole legislation was supposed to protect an individual who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court. He argued that the law had been made to enable a disqualified man to head a political party, which he believed was against the spirit of the Constitution and Islamic injunctions.
The petitioner-lawyer prayed to the court to order the speaker of the National Assembly and chairman of the Senate to disqualify all parliamentarians who exercised their vote in favour of the Election Act 2017. He also prayed to the court to set aside the said law.
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