ISLAMABAD: A court in Islamabad postponed until March 18 the hearing of a defamation case brought against Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif by Imran Khan in 2012, following a request by the former prime minister himself.
11 years ago, Khan sent Asif a defamation notice demanding from him Rs10 billion in damages after he accused the 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 — abroad.
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 the hospital and Namal Institute in France and Oman.
During the previous hearing, Khan completed his cross-examination and requested an early verdict. He also admitted that an amount invested abroad by the hospital had not been returned to the trust’s account at the time of the filing of the suit in 2012.
Khan said he was not aware of the decisions made by the SKMT board but had received the information through an audit report. He denied any losses resulting from the investment and claimed the funds were invested in the hospital’s best interests.
