PESHAWAR: Peshawar District and Sessions Judge Shehbar Khan on Tuesday ordered Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan to file written reply to a defamation suit filed against him by sacked provincial minister and Qaumi Watan Party leader Bakht Baidar Khan.
The judge fixed Jan 18 for next hearing with the direction to a panel of lawyers appearing for Imran Khan to submit power of attorney from client on that date.
Lawyers belonging to PTI including Saadullah Marwat, Syed Sikandar Hayat and Robina Naz appeared on behalf of Imran Khan and said they had yet not received power of attorney from their client and would produce it on the next hearing.
Lawyer for the plaintiff Babar Khan Yousafzai said notice was issued to Imran Khan on the last hearing a week ago but he had yet not given power of attorney to his lawyer in an act meant to delay the trial.
He said Imran Khan had damaged reputation of the plaintiff and lowered his image in the public eye by levelling baseless allegations against him.
Mr Bakht has filed the defamation suit seeking damages to the tune of Rs1 billion on account of defaming him through media by levelling allegation of corruption against him.
Mr Bakht, who is provincial general secretary of QWP, had earlier served legal notice on Imran Khan on Nov 18, 2013, and had asked him to tender an apology with in 15 days and pay him compensation to the tune of Rs1 billion. However, Mr Imran Khan did not give any reply to the said legal notice.
The plaintiff was elected Member of the Provincial Assembly on the ticket of QWP in the May 11 general elections. He along with another provincial minister hailing from QWP, Ibrar Hussain Tanoli, was sacked from the cabinet by the Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Nov 13 on the directives of Imran Khan.
The chief minister was also ordered by Imran Khan to end alliance with QWP.
The plaintiff said he belonged to a respectable family of Chakdara, Lower Dir, and Imran Khan had damaged his reputation in the eyes of general public as well as people of his constituency.