Pakistan leader Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI), Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, issued a defamation notice to the former member of the Sher Afzal Marwat party, demanding RS1BN in damages for false accusations.
The legal opinion, delivered by the representatives of Jhagra, comes after Marwat made allegations of financial misconduct during two television talk shows on March 11, 2025.
Marwat accused Jhagra of diverting RS36BN from the retirement fund and purchase of properties in Hayatabad and Islamabad using illicit funds.
Jhagra’s legal adviser, lawyer Ali Gohar Durrani, firmly rejected allegations, describing them as base, malicious and defamatory.
The opinion also said that the accusations had been brought with the intention of harming the social and professional reputation of Jhagra, stressing that the declarations had no factual and violated basis of the defamation order of Pakistan, 2002.
The opinion requires Marwat to cease and refrain from new defamatory remarks, presents public apologies via television channels and social media platforms, withdraw its declarations, publicly clarify the disinformation and pay 1 billion rupees in compensation for damage and professional damage caused by its complaints.
Failure to comply with these requests within 14 days will result in civil and criminal procedure, warns the opinion.
This legal action comes in the midst of increasing tensions within PTI. Last month, the founder of the PTI, Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, ordered the expulsion of Marwat of the party for violation of the party’s discipline.
This decision followed Marwat’s controversial remarks at a rally in Swabi, where he criticized the competing for the alleged elections and said that “bad people” like him was useful during the difficult times, while the “good people” had remained silent.
Khan expressed dissatisfaction with the Marwat statements and ordered party leaders to end its members. Marwat, in turn, responded to his expulsion by saying that his unwavering support for PTI during difficult times had been ignored and that his voice had not been heard before his withdrawal.
