LAHORE: A sessions court on Thursday allowed an application of Prime Minister Imran Khan and directed the counsel for Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to present the record of all the cases pending against his client.

Mr Khan had filed the application in a defamation suit Shehbaz was pursuing against him since 2017.

Khan did not file his reply to the suit rather requested the court to first summon the details of the corruption references pending against the plaintiff.

Additional District & Sessions Judge Yasir Hayat had reserved his verdict on the last hearing as a counsel for Mr Khan said it had been over a year when the application was filed to summon the record of the cases against Shehbaz.

The judge announced the verdict on Thursday and allowed the application, directing the plaintiff’s counsel to furnish the record on Feb 10.

The defamation suit filed in 2017 states that Mr Khan started uttering false and malicious statements against Shehbaz that he offered him Rs10bn through a common friend in exchange of withdrawing the case of the Panama Papers pending before the Supreme Court.

It says Shehbaz served a legal notice to the defendant asking him to tender a proper apology within 14 days through the print and electronic media. However, the defendant failed to make an apology and the plaintiff was left with no option but to approach the court for recovery of damages.

The suit pleads that the baseless and defamatory statements by the defendant widely circulated by the media lowered the integrity of the plaintiff and caused him extreme mental torture, agony and anxiety.

It asks the court to issue a decree for recovery of Rs10bn as compensation for the publication of defamatory content in favour of the plaintiff.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2021