ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari sent a legal notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Monday over allegations that he had conspired to assassinate him.

In the four-page legal notice served through his attorney Farooq H. Naek, the former president demanded the PTI chairman tender an unconditional apology or pay Rs10 billion in damages.

The “defamatory, libellous, scandalous remarks” and allegations of serious nature tried to create a link between Mr Zardari and terrorist organisations disregarding the fact that the former president and the PPP were themselves a victim of terrorism, the notice added.

“You are, therefore, hereby called upon to render unconditional apology ... on television, print and social media, within 14 days from the receipt of this notice, failing whereof, our client shall be constrained to institute appropriate legal proceedings against you, civil as well as criminal before the competent courts of law and forums of Pakistan as well as of England, including but not limited to suit for damages for Rs10 billion at your risk to cost and consequences,” the letter stated.

In a televised address from his Zaman Park residence on Jan 27, Mr Khan had accused the former president of being a part of a plan to get “rid of me”.

The notice contended the defendant tried to defame Mr Zardari “nationally as well as internationally” by levelling “baseless accusations of malicious and defamatory nature”.

In his address, the PTI chairman claimed Mr Zardari, through his ill-gotten wealth, paid a terrorist organisation to launch an attack on him. He added the plan has the support of a powerful state agency’s facilitators.

The notice added that former prime minister – and Mr Zardari’s wife – Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated by terrorists.

It said the former president was accused of using money amassed from corruption even though he “languished in prison” for almost eight years in “false, fabricated cases” and not one of them was proven; rather, he was honourably acquitted in all cases.

The defamatory statements, widely circulated on social as well as mainstream media globally, were made with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives to injure, harm, defame and disparage Mr Zardari, the letter stated adding, he “struggled and sacrifice for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.”

The notice said the plaintiff held the highest constitutional post and always struggled for the betterment of Pakistan.

The accusations have also caused great harm and hurt the sentiments of the PPP members, thereby damaging and defaming their reputation, the notice said.

Mr Zardari believed allegations of paying terrorists and plotting the assassination were “false, libellous, scandalous and without any proof and were vehemently denied”, the notice contended.

The defendant had ulterior motives to get undue benefit in the current political situation and committed an unjustified and inexcusable defamation to malign the former president, the notice concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2023