Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif on Monday challenged the sessions court’s decision of not giving his counsel a right to present arguments in a defamation suit worth Rs10 billion filed by Prime Minister Imran Khan against him, according to Express Tribune.
Earlier on December 17 last year, Imran Khan had appeared before Additional District & Sessions Judge Muhammad Adnan via video link. He had submitted an affidavit before the court and rejected the allegations of PML-N stalwart, terming them baseless.
In 2012, Imran Khan as chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had served Khawaja Asif with a defamation notice. Asif had blamed Khan of speculating in Dubai real estate with the donations he had collected for his Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. He had also alleged that Khan had transferred Rs4.50 billion outside the country from the hospital’s account.
The PTI chief in his notice had said that the allegations had caused damage to the fund collection for “Pakistan’s biggest charity hospital” and that if this continues, thousands of patients would be affected.
On Monday, Asif filed an application in Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the lower court’s verdict and nominated PM Imran and the sessions court judge as respondents.
Asif pleaded in the application that PM Imran’s statement was recorded by the additional district and sessions judge via video link in the absence of his lawyer. He maintained that his counsel had informed the sessions court that he could not appear on December 17 due to ill-health and the sessions court announced the verdict in haste without referring to any law.
He prayed the IHC to annul the decision of lower court of terminating his right to cross-examination.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah will conduct the hearing on the application on Tuesday.
