LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar on Tuesday recorded his statement before a sessions court in a Rs10 billion defamation suit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

In his statement, the federal minister said the prime minister belongs to a respectable family and his political and social services are recognised worldwide.

He said the plaintiff is a politician of good reputation, whereas the defendant — the PTI founder — is a convicted person in a corruption case.

He further stated that the PTI founder had in 2017 falsely accused PM Shehbaz during a television programme of offering Rs10 billion to remain silent over the Panama leaks case.

Mr Tarar said the PTI founder knowingly made a false allegation and repeated it several times, damaging PM Shehbaz’s reputation and causing him mental distress. He requested the court to allow him to submit additional documents at the next hearing.

Advocate Muhammad Hussain Chotia, the lead counsel for the defendant, was not available to cross-examine the information minister, the witness of the plaintiff.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani adjourned the hearing till Nov 15 for the cross-examination.

In his suit filed in 2017, PM Shehbaz said Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations on him. He sought a decree for the recovery of Rs10bn as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025