The leader of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), Taimur Salem Khan Jhagra, has issued a defamation notice to the former member of the Sher Afzal Marwat party, demanding RS1Bn in damage for damages for alleged false accusations.
The legal notice, delivered through the representatives of Jhagra, occurs after Marwat made accusations of financial behavior during two televised interview programs on March 11, 2025.
Marwat accused Jhagra of Malversation of RS36bn of the Pension and Purchase Properties in Hayatabad and Islamabad using illegal funds.
Jhagra’s legal advisor, lawyer Ali Gohar Durrani, strongly rejected the accusations, describing them as unfounded, malicious and defamatory.
The notice also said that the accusations were made with the intention of damaging Jhagra’s social and professional reputation, emphasizing that the statements lacked an objective base and violated the Pakistan’s defamation ordinance, 2002.
The notice requires that Marwat cease and desist from more defamatory comments, issue a public apology through television channels and social media platforms, retract your statements, clarify the publicly erroneous information and pay RS1 billion in compensation for reputational and professional damages caused by your statements.
Failure to comply with these demands within 14 days will result in a civil and criminal procedure, warns the notice.
This legal action occurs in the midst of increasing tensions within PTI. Last month, the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, currently imprisoned, ordered Marwat’s expulsion from the party for violating the discipline of the party.
This decision followed Marwat’s controversial comments in a demonstration in Swabi, where he criticized the alleged electoral rig and said that “bad people” as he had been useful during difficult times, while “good people” had remained silent.
Khan expressed his disgust with Marwat’s statements and ordered the leadership of the party to terminate his membership. Marwat, in turn, responded to his expulsion by stating that his unwavering support for PTI during challenging times had been ignored and that his voice had not been heard before his removal.
