PM Shehbaz testifies in Rs10bn defamation suit against PTI founder

• PM says PTI founder never made allegations to his face.
• Defends judge’s authority in Rs10 billion defamation case.
• Says filed suit over TV remarks without verifying broadcast details.

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appeared before a local court in Lahore on Saturday to testify in a Rs10 billion defamation lawsuit against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Additional Session Judge Yilmaz Ghani presided the hearing, while Mian Muhammad Hussain, the counsel for the PTI founder, conducted the cross-examination.

The premier, appearing via video-link, took an oath before the defence counsel initiated cross-examination. 

During his testimony, the prime minister stated for the record that his lawyer was present with him during the cross-examination, while the PTI founder's lawyer was not in the same location as the witness.

The defamation lawsuit was filed by PM Shehbaz in response to allegations made by Imran, claiming that the former had offered Rs10 billion to withdraw the Panama Papers case.

He also said that he signed the defamation claim against the PTI founder.

To a query, the prime minister said he could not recall if he had read the defamation law before filing the claim. “The stamp paper for the claim's verification was purchased through my lawyer's agent, but I do not remember the name of the oath commissioner who attested the claim,” he said.

He added that the oath commissioner came to his Model Town residence, but he could not recall the specific date or time.

Shehbaz admitted that the PTI founder had never made the allegations to his face but had levelled them during programmes aired on two TV channels. However, he stated he did not know the cities from which these shows were broadcast and had not verified the broadcast locations before filing the lawsuit.

When asked if the PTI founder had personally published a statement against him, Shehbaz replied that all allegations were made by the PTI founder during television appearances. 

The prime minister elaborated that he was unaware if the owners or employees of the two channels were associated with the PTI founder.

To a query, he said that the defamation claim was filed before a district judge but not in a district court, adding that media houses, their employees or executives were not made parties in the case.

During the proceedings, Shehbaz's lawyer Mustafa Ramday, objected to a question from the PTI founder's counsel regarding the additional session judge's authority to hear the case and record evidence, arguing that this legal point had already been settled. 

When asked by the court if he wished to answer, the PM stated that it was incorrect to suggest that an additional district judge, acting as a district judge, does not have the authority to hear a claim or record evidence.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader also stated that he could not recall if he was the PML-N president in 2017, when the allegations were made, but he was affiliated with the party and is still a member. 

The prime minister informed the court that the PTI founder was the chairman of his party in 2017 and that the PTI and PML-N have been political rivals since the PTI founder entered politics and formed his party.

Shehbaz confirmed that he had included the words "political rival of PML-N" in paragraph 3 of his claim.

The premier also stated that he was unaware that the word 'originator' had been removed from the defamation law and further said that the cabinet reviews all laws and rules before sending them to the president for approval.

The court adjourned the hearing until April 25, with further cross-examination of the prime minister expected on the next date.