ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought a response from Imran Khan on a petition of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Khawaja Asif who questioned the legality of a statement the prime minister recorded through a video link in a defamation suit the former initiated against the former in 2012.
Ten years ago, Khan sent Asif a defamation notice demanding from him Rs10 billion in damages after he accused then-Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman of investing, and losing in real estate gambling, $4.5 million — which was donated to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital (SKMH) in the form of donations —Â abroad.
Last Friday, Khan testified before an additional district and sessions judge through a video link from his office, recalling he remained the biggest individual donor of the charitable facility between 1991 and 2009 and the investments, against which allegations had been levelled, were recovered by the trust without any loss.
However, objecting to the proceedings, Asif maintained the judge, by choosing to conduct the hearing virtually, unilaterally closed his right of cross-examination of the prime minister.
The former minister also contended he had filed multiple applications for increasing the number of defence witnesses, but the judge, without deciding these requests, proceeded ex parte in the case.
Today, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah took up the petition.
At the outset of the hearing, he questioned how long had the matter been pending? At this, he was informed the suit was filed in December 2012 but the questions were formulated only in 2021.
The counsel for Asif responded both parties had taken adjournments over the course of proceedings. He claimed that initially, Khan had not pursued the case and only started doing so later.
He observed the PML-N MP was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) between December 2020 and June 2021 when the issues were framed.
Following the preliminary hearing, Justice Minallah served a notice on the prime minister and restrained the sessions judge from proceeding further in the case until further orders.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned until January 12.
Asif had subjected Khan to similar claims in 2017 as well when he was Minister for Defense in the government of now-deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Speaking to a group of reporters, he had claimed Khan invested the charity money meant for SKMH and Namal Institute in France and Oman.
