LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday complained to an additional district and sessions judge about delay in the proceedings of his defamation suit against PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

“Several hearings have taken place before the court, but the proceedings have not moved beyond stamps and signatures,” the prime minister said, addressing the judge during his cross-examination.

AD&SJ Yalmaz Ghani conducted the hearing on the defamation suit, which PM Shehbaz and his counsel Mustafa Ramday joined via a video link.

During the cross-examination, Advocate Muhammad Hussain Chotia, the counsel for the defendant, asked the prime minister why his affidavit did not mention who identified him before the oath commissioner.

At this, the plaintiff’s lawyer objected to the question, saying the issue had already been discussed. Being irked with recurring questions, PM Shehbaz sarcastically said that while the time of the judge and the defendant’s counsel was considered precious, his own time, although at a much lower level, was also valuable. The judge remarked that it seemed the PTI founder’s lawyer was using the proceedings as an excuse to keep seeing the prime minister repeatedly.

PM Shehbaz argued that the matter had already been addressed and further discussion would only waste time. He explained that the oath commissioner knew him in his capacity as the then chief minister of Punjab. The defence counsel stated that the suit mentioned a legal notice was sent to his client on May 8, 2017, but no such notice was attached to the document.

At this, PM Shehbaz sought permission to present the legal notice before the court. The judge directed the prime minister to file a formal application to present the legal notice sent to the PTI founder in a defamation suit. The judge adjourned the hearing of the suit till June 23.

In his defamation suit filed in 2017, PM Shehbaz said Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations against him. He sought a decree for recovery of Rs10bn as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content. Imran had filed his reply to the suit with a delay of four years in 2021, saying one of his friends told him that someone known to him and also the Sharif family had approached him with an offer to pay billions of rupees if he could convince him (Mr Khan) to stop pursuing the Panama Papers case.

The former prime minister said he disclosed the incident for the consumption of the public at large, and an act in the interest of the public good does not constitute any defamation.

The reply maintained that Mr Khan did not specifically attribute any statement to the plaintiff

(PM Shehbaz) while narrating the incident.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025