ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday issued a notice to anchorperson Najam Sethi on a defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Imran Khan for passing “derogatory” remarks against him.

Mr Khan has claimed Rs10 billion in terms of damages and compensation from Mr Sethi for intruding on his private life.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Basit Aleem took up Mr Khan’s application and issued the notice to Mr Sethi for Aug 9. The judge, however, rejected a request from Mr Khan’s counsel for an order to the private television channel to restrain Mr Sethi from hosting his programme Najam Sethi Show, saying the matter may be raised before another ADSJ, Mohammad Ali Warraich, who would take up Mr Khan’s application.

In the application, the prime minister said Mr Sethi’s programme aired on March 28, “openly slandered the family and private life of the plaintiff [PM Khan] with an object to degrade and defame the plaintiff in the eyes of general public”.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2019