Shehbaz Seeks Legal Notice Inclusion in Founder PTI Defamation Case

LAHORE: A sessions court in Lahore has reserved its verdict on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s plea to make a legal notice part of the record in his defamation suit against PTI founder Imran Khan. The verdict will be announced on July 10.

PM Shehbaz filed the defamation suit seeking Rs10 billion in damages, claiming Imran Khan falsely accused him of offering a Rs10 billion bribe to stay silent in the Panama Papers case. The accusation, made during a TV interview on April 26, 2017, allegedly damaged the PM’s reputation.

Shehbaz said a legal notice was served to Imran Khan in May 2017, but no public apology was made.

During the May 17 hearing, PM Shehbaz appeared via video link and reaffirmed that the bribery allegation was a serious act of defamation, even if his name was not directly mentioned. He stressed that the statement’s context clearly pointed at him.

The court will decide whether the legal notice will be accepted as part of the case record on July 10.