Court Seeks PM Counsel’s Arguments in Shehbaz Defamation Suit
A sessions court in Lahore on Saturday sought arguments from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel on a miscellaneous application in his Rs10 billion defamation suit against former prime minister Imran Khan, the Tribune reported.
Additional Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani heard the case, in which the prime minister alleged that the PTI founder levelled false allegations against him in connection with the Panama Papers controversy.
The application: Imran’s lawyer wants to meet him in jail
The miscellaneous application was filed by Imran Khan’s counsel, Muhammad Hussain Chotia, who sought the court’s permission to meet his client at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Dawn reported.
Chotia told the court he needed instructions from Khan regarding the case and his signatures on documents. He said the jail authorities were not allowing the meeting, and asked the court to direct the jail superintendent to permit it.
After hearing Chotia’s arguments, the judge sought the response of the prime minister’s lawyers and adjourned the hearing till October 31.
Background of the Shehbaz defamation suit
Shehbaz filed the suit in 2017, alleging that Imran Khan made baseless claims against him linked to the Panama Papers case. He sought a decree for the recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for the publication of defamatory content.
The case has stretched across nine years of hearings. Several key government figures have already recorded their statements in support of the plaintiff, including Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan.
The Rs10 billion figure at the heart of the suit dates to Khan’s original claim that Shehbaz offered him the sum to stay quiet over the Panama Papers, an allegation the prime minister has always rejected as false and malicious.
The latest turn, a dispute over a lawyer’s access to his jailed client, shows how procedural battles continue to shape the trial’s pace.
The case is one of several high-profile matters moving through Lahore’s courts. Defamation law has featured in other prominent Pakistani cases as well.
What happens next
The court will hear the prime minister’s counsel on October 31, when the question of the jail meeting, and the miscellaneous application around it, comes back before the judge.
FAQs
What happened in the defamation case on Saturday?
A Lahore sessions court sought arguments from PM Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel on an application by Imran Khan’s lawyer seeking permission to meet Khan in Adiala Jail, and adjourned the case till October 31.
Who is the judge hearing the case?
Additional District and Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani.
When was the defamation suit filed?
In 2017. Shehbaz alleged Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations against him over the Panama Papers controversy and claimed Rs10 billion in damages.
Why does Imran’s lawyer want to meet him in jail?
Muhammad Hussain Chotia told the court he needs instructions from his client and his signatures on case documents, and that jail authorities were blocking the meeting.
