Asif Ali Zardari sends legal notice to Imran Khan over ‘assassination’ remarks

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday sent a notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over the latter’s comments of an “assassination plot devised by Zardari to kill him”, reported Aaj News.

PPP member and former chairman senate Farooq Naek delivered the notice to Imran on behalf of Zardari.

The notice urged Imran “to issue unconditional apology for his baseless remarks within 14 days or legal proceedings will be initiated against him”.

On Friday, Imran claimed that Zardari was behind a “plan C” to assassinate him after the first two bids failed.

In a televised address, the former PM claimed that the PPP co-chairman had hired a terrorist outfit to have him killed after the previous attempt [in Wazirabad] on his life failed.

The PTI chief claimed that Zardari used money made through corruption in Sindh to pay a terrorist organisation to plot an attack on his life.

Imran claimed that “powerful people in agencies” were involved in the latest attempt, and Zardari was one of the people behind it.

Without naming anyone, Imran also said another conspiracy had been hatched to have him killed by a religious extremist in the Wazirabad attack in November last year, where he sustained bullet injuries in his leg.

After the speech, PPP announced on Saturday that it will send a legal notice to Imran to withdraw his statement.

PPP leaders said that the allegation made by Imran is “baseless and a lie” and that the PTI chairman is afflicted with “depression and panic.”

They said Imran’s allegations “are never based on reality. If they were, he surely would’ve approached the available forums according to the Constitution and the law but he never went there.”

If Imran doesn’t withdraw his statement, “the PPP has the right to approach the forums and courts for civil and criminal proceedings,” they added.