Govt to send defamation notice to Imran over Rs10bn bribery claim

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday decided to sue Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan over his allegations that he was offered Rs10 billion for keeping mum on the Panama Leaks case, sources told Geo News.

They said that the decision was taken in a high-level consultative meeting, held to review the Supreme Court’s decision on Panama Leaks case.

Sources said that a defamation notice would be sent to Imran Khan over his claims. A team of legal experts has also been constituted in this regard.

During the meeting, the premiere rejected Imran Khan's claim, saying that he has always presented himself before the courts and people, further adding that lies and defamation have always failed against him.

Earlier, Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif dismissed the allegation by saying: "Imran Khan has made a record of lying, I have the right to take this up in the court of law."

The CM said that if the PTI chief's allegations of Sharif's friend offering him Rs10 billion as a bribe in Dubai is proven true, the public "should not forgive him till the end of days."

Meanwhile, Imran Khan has maintained that he would not reveal the name of the person who made Rs10 billion offer.

Speaking in an interview, Khan said that the person who made an offer is close to Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif but in case if he reveals his name, the person will get into trouble, further adding that the offer was made two weeks ago.

Khan also said that the Rs 10bn was just an initial offer.

While speaking during a gathering at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf alleged that he had been made an offer during the Supreme Court`s Panama case.

 "Just imagine how much money he offered me to be silent. Rs10 billion...  If he can offer me this much money, just imagine how much he would offer to others. That is why if we don't maintain public pressure this issue then after two months it will be dragged to next year," Khan said. 

In her reaction, Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, on Wednesday said that she "fears for the fate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman in the hereafter".

In her tweet, she noted that the PTI chief at times says that he was made the offer by an aide of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, while on others he says it was Hamza Shahbaz's friend who offered the huge sum to his affiliate in Dubai.

"I fear for this man's Hereafter! " the first daughter said in her tweet.