Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan on Saturday recorded his statement in a defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against PTI founder Imran Khan.

The Punjab Assembly speaker recorded his statement as the prime minister’s witness in the sessions court headed by Additional Sessions Judge Yilmaz Ghani.

Malik Ahmad Khan told the court that in April 2017, the PTI founder levelled a serious allegation on several television programmes and public gatherings, claiming that Shehbaz Sharif had offered him Rs10 billion to not pursue the Panama Papers case.

The Punjab Assembly Speaker noted the claim was first aired on a private TV channel on April 8, 2017, and was repeatedly levelled at events in Peshawar and Islamabad on April 25, 26, 27 and 28.

He said the “false accusation” was intended to damage Shehbaz Sharif’s reputation and political standing.

During cross-examination, the PTI founder’s counsel, Muhammad Hussain, pointed out that the programmes cited were aired from Islamabad and Peshawar, not within Punjab, and argued the suit should have been filed in those jurisdictions.

Malik Ahmad Khan agreed the programmes were recorded outside Punjab but said he had watched them while in Lahore.

On the question of whether the case was filed in the correct jurisdiction, he said he could not comment.

When asked about the Panama case, the witness responded that it involved a list of individuals with foreign investments.

Malik Ahmad speaks to media outside court

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Malik Ahmad Khan said Shehbaz Sharif had been kept in jail “under the jail manual” and was not even provided home-cooked meals.

He questioned whether the PTI founder was being treated as a “special favourite” during his stay at the Adiala jail.

Referring to the 27th amendment, he added that parliamentary authority could not be surrendered.

He said decisions such as the Panama case were used to send prime ministers home.