IHC seeks PM Imran Khan’s reply in Khawaja Asif defamation case

A excessive courtroom bench, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, heard Asif’s plea difficult Extra District and Session Decide Muhammad Adnan’s ruling to abolish the defendant’s proper to conduct cross examination of PM Imran Khan’s assertion.

Through the listening to, Asif’s counsel knowledgeable the courtroom that the trial courtroom dominated out their proper to conduct cross examination on the premier’s assertion.

At this, Justice Minallah inquired since when the defamation swimsuit had been beneath trial and who’s liable for the delay in its conclusion.

Responding to the decide’s query, the counsel mentioned that the case was filed in 2012.

He mentioned that the IHC had ordered fast conclusion of defamation instances.

The decision in defamation case ought to have been introduced inside two months of its submitting, the courtroom remarked.

The IHC adjourned the listening to of Khawaja Asif’s plea until January 12 whereas limiting the classes courtroom from additional continuing within the defamation case.

Asif challenges trial courtroom’s ruling

The PML-N chief had reached out to the IHC on Monday to problem the classes courtroom’s ruling. In his plea filed via Advocate Gillani, Asif had nominated PM Imran Khan as social gathering and maintained that the defence lawyer had knowledgeable the trial courtroom about his unavailability on the defamation case’s listening to on December 17, 2021, resulting from sickness. Regardless of this, the e-court recorded PM Imran Khan’s assertion in absence of the defence lawyer.

The plea strikes the IHC to nullify trial courtroom’s ruling.

PM Imran Khan had just about appeared earlier than Extra District and Session Decide Muhammad Adnan on December 17, 2021, and verified his affidavit and signatures on the paperwork hooked up with it for listening to of Rs10 billion defamation swimsuit he filed towards Asif.

Through the listening to, PM Imran Khan had mentioned that he signed the affidavit within the oath commissioner’s presence. He mentioned that the assertion within the affidavit is predicated on fact.

Asif’s plea additional acknowledged that the trial courtroom recorded statements by 5 witnesses offered by the prosecution in the course of the interval from April 1 to Could 25, 2021.