LAHORE: A sessions court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Rs 10 billion defamation suit against Imran Khan till Sept 16 to continue the cross-examination of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.
The court conducted the proceedings with the prime minister appearing via video link.
Earlier, the PM Shehbaz requested the court to conclude his cross-examination within two days, citing his engagement with meetings on the ongoing flood situation. The PM also objected to the late arrival of the defendant’s lawyer, saying he had returned from official visit of Qatar for the case and asked the court to proceed strictly in accordance with law.
PM Shehbaz took oath to speak truth and admitted that the receipts of the legal notice bore the name of his lawyer but did not specify who received them. The PM read the legal notice aloud and maintained that the legal notice had been issued on his instructions, although he could not recall the complete text of the notice.
The defendant’s counsel pointed out that the defamation suit mentioned the Panama Papers but the legal notice did not. The PM, however, said he had repeatedly clarified that he had no connection with the Panama Papers. The PM counsel also objected to several questions posed by the counsel for the defendant, calling the questions irrelevant and meaningless.
“It is very clear in the suit and there is no need for further questions on this point,” the counsel pressed. In his suit filed in 2017, the PM Shehbaz said Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations on him. He sought a decree for recovery of rupees 10 billion as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025