Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed an appeal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against striking out his right to defence, in a defamation suit, filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against him.

Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal heard the appeal and upheld the trial court verdict of striking out Imran Khan’s right to defence in the suit, said a written order, released here on Friday.

Imran Khan’s counsel had argued before the court that PM Shehbaz Sharif had filed a defamation suit against his client and it was pending before an additional district and sessions judge. He submitted that his client raised various objections to questions of the plaintiff (Shehbaz Sharif), but the trial court dismissed the same. He submitted that the trial court struck out his client’s right to defence over failure to submit replies to the questions of the plaintiff in the suit. He pleaded with the court to set aside the verdict of the trial court.

It is pertinent to mention here that an additional sessions judge had struck out Imran Khan’s right to defence in the defamation suit in Nov 2022.

PM Shehbaz Sharif, through the defamation suit, had submitted that the PTI chief alleged in a TV programme on April 26, 2017 that Rs 10 billion bribe offer was made to him by Shehbaz Sharif keeping mum over the Panama papers case. He said that allegations levelled against him were not only false but also defamatory. He said that Imran Khan also failed to tender a publicly broadcast apology, though he was served a legal notice in May, 2017 for the purpose. The court was requested to issue a decree for recovery of Rs 10bn as compensation for defamation.