A hearing was held in the Lahore District Court regarding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s defamation lawsuit seeking Rs10 billion against the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan. The Prime Minister appeared via video link, but the session was interrupted by a power outage.

Before cross-examination, Shehbaz Sharif took an oath, affirming, “I will speak the truth and will not make false statements.”

During the proceedings, PTI’s attorney, Muhammad Hussain Chotya, questioned the Prime Minister on various points. One key question was whether Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that his claim was not filed in the District Court.

The Prime Minister countered, “I have it in writing that the claim was filed with the District Judge.”

Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyer intervened, asserting that the issue had already been resolved, while the PTI lawyer insisted on their right to cross-examine.

The lawyer further inquired, “Do you admit that you did not include any media house as a party in your claim?” Shehbaz Sharif confirmed, “That is correct.”

When asked if it was true that Imran Khan had not directly accused him of Rs10 million, Shehbaz Sharif replied, “This baseless allegation was repeatedly made on TV in front of everyone.”

The PTI lawyer also emphasized that their client’s statement had been aired on two private TV channels, suggesting that Shehbaz Sharif was deliberately concealing this information. The Prime Minister responded that he was unaware of where the programs had been broadcast.

In a lighter moment, when asked if questions could be posed in Punjabi, Shehbaz Sharif smiled and encouraged, “You are welcome to do so.”

The hearing was adjourned temporarily due to the unexpected power outage.

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Background

In April 2017, during a rally, Imran Khan alleged that he had been offered Rs10 billion by then-Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to remain silent on the Panama Papers issue.

In response, Shehbaz Sharif filed a defamation lawsuit against Khan for Rs10 billion in July 2017 in the Lahore Sessions Court.

He argued that as a member of a respected political family and the brother of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he was held in high regard both nationally and internationally due to his public service.

Previously, Shehbaz Sharif had sent a legal notice to Imran Khan, demanding an apology for alleging that Javed Sadiq was a purported frontman profiting from billions.

Imran Khan had also claimed in a video on his social media that if he and his party stayed silent on the Panama Papers, the ruling party might offer them a substantial financial deal, referencing the Rs10 billion offer as an example.