- Information minister records statement in Rs10bn defamation suit, saying ‘Justice will be served soon’
- Says PTI founder sought 120 adjournments to delay proceedings, highlights Shehbaz Sharif’s lifelong record of public service
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had built his politics on “falsehood and slander,” reiterating that the false allegations levelled against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rs10 billion defamation case had been completely exposed in court.
Talking to the media after recording his statement as a witness in the defamation suit filed by the Prime Minister, Tarar said that all evidence had been submitted before the court and significant progress had been achieved in the proceedings. “We are hopeful that justice will soon be served,” he remarked.
The minister recalled that the defamation suit was instituted in July 2017, but the PTI founder’s legal team had sought 120 adjournments to delay the trial. “Even today, their lawyer was absent. They have neither any evidence nor any argument left to offer,” he stated.
Praising Shehbaz Sharif’s decades-long public service, Tarar said the Prime Minister had been part of both the National and Provincial Assemblies since 1988, served three terms as Chief Minister of Punjab and twice as Prime Minister, dedicating his entire life to national progress.
Referring to a foreign individual involved in the same smear campaign—later discredited by a London court—the minister said the person even provided a social media platform to terrorist Ehsanullah Ehsan, which he termed “a disgraceful act no civilized nation would tolerate.”
On local government elections, Tarar reaffirmed the government’s commitment to timely polls and local empowerment, while on the 27th Constitutional Amendment, he said consultations were continuing to strengthen judicial institutions.
Earlier, Tarar appeared before Additional Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani, presented evidence including video clips and newspaper reports, and was summoned again for cross-examination on November 15.
