Islamabad:
The defamation case filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has now reached the Supreme Court. In the case, Khan submitted a petition contesting the jurisdiction of the court hearing the case.
In the advocacy, the founder of the PTI asked the Apex Court to suspend the procedure in the defamation case until a decision is made on its appeal. He maintains that, under the law, only a district and sessions court has the power to hear such defamation questions.
Find out more: The virtual appearance of the Virtual Tribunal of the PM interrupted by an electricity failure
The petition also disputes the jurisdiction of the additional session judge, whose decision has already been confirmed by the High Court of Lahore. Khan’s legal team asked the Supreme Court to cancel the orders issued by the additional sessions judge and the High Court of Lahore.
In addition, the petition urges the Supreme Court to interrupt any other procedure in the case until the appeal is decided.
DEFAMATION FUNCTION 2017
In 2017, Prime Minister Shehbaz put an action in defamation against the then opposition chief Imran Khan, accusing him of making defamatory statements that harmed his reputation and mental well-being.
Sharif’s defamation request follows from Khan’s allegations that Sharif offered him 10 billion rupees through a common friend in exchange for retiring from the Panama Papers, who was then in instance before the Supreme Court.
According to the pursuit, these “baseless and malicious” statements were widely disseminated by the media, damaging the public image of Sharif and causing “mental torture, an extreme agony and anxiety”.
Find out more: PM responds to queries in defamation costume
The Shari legal team asked the court to issue a decree for the recovery of 10 billion rupees in compensation for defamation and the damage caused by declarations. The Prime Minister maintains that the charges were false and led to significant reputation damage.
In response, Khan granted an answer in 2021, saying that the information had been transmitted to him by a friend, who would have been approached by a member of the Sharif family with an offer to stop continuing the Panama affair.
Khan said he had revealed the incident in the public interest and argued that his declaration had specifically assigned any part of the allegation to Sharif.
