The hearing for a case of high profile defamation of RS10 billion presented by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), the founding president Imran Khan, was temporarily suspended due to an energy failure in the Lahore session.
The prime minister appeared through a video link for the hearing conducted by an additional session judge. However, the interrogation stopped abruptly due to an energy cut, Express News reported.
Previously during the hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Mian Muhammad Hussain Chotya, interrogated the prime minister, who lent oath before testifying.
“I declared the truth and I will not make false statements,” said Sharif.
During the interrogation, Khan’s lawyer asked if Sharif accepts that his lawsuit did not appear in a district court but with a district judge, to which Sharif’s lawyer intervened arguing that the matter had already been resolved.
Imran’s lawyer was pressed even more, noting that no media house was made in the case.
Sharif confirmed this, adding that the defamatory statements were repeatedly broadcast on television.
When asked if the accusations were made face to face, Sharif replied: “This vile accusation was repeated on TV several times.”
At one point, Imran’s lawyer asked if he could ask in Punjabi, to which Sharif replied: “You’re welcome.”
Khan’s lawyer also questioned whether the television programs in which the accusations transmitted by Islamabad were made. Sharif replied that he did not know the transmission origin.
The interrogation stopped when electricity came out during Sharif’s video appearance, stopping the procedures.
The prime minister clarified that his legal team did not appoint any means of communication, employee or official as respondents in the case.
He acknowledged that he had described Khan as a political rival in paragraph 3 of the claim, but denied that the political rivalry justified the exchange of defamatory statements.
Sharif’s lawyer, Mustafa Ramday, opposed some legal questions raised by Imran Khan lawyer, particularly regarding the court jurisdiction and the role of the additional district judge when he heard the case.
The judge annulled the objection and asked Sharif directly if he wanted to respond. Sharif said it was incorrect to affirm that an additional district judge could not preside over an issue or a registered evidence.
The audience was later postponed until April 25 at 9:00 am, when the interrogation is expected to resume.
