London: London High Court of Justice has rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s plea for an indefinite adjournment in defamation case against British newspaper Daily Mail. According to a copy of court order shared by Daily Mail reporter David Rose, Justice Nicklin conducted hearing on case on November 9, 2022.

PM’s counsels reportedly sought more time for their client to submit response in case, saying that prime minister of Pakistan was fully occupied with legal duties. “Prime Minister and common man are equal in this court,” media reports quoted UK judge as saying in response to PM’s request. If PM Shehbaz amended reply is deemed not to comply with requirements set down by law next month, his action will be “struck out”, according to journalist Rose.

“If that happened, he would have to pay all our [legal] costs since he brought case. Same would be true if he and Ali Imran withdrew,” he added. In a statement, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that British newspaper delayed defamation case for one and a half years on different pretexts. “We have won this case to extent of stating our position,” she claimed. She said next hearing of case has been fixed for December 13 in which she said a detailed response to allegations will be submitted to court.

PM Shahbaz’s brief response in case has already been submitted while Daily Mail has not been able to prove its allegations in court yet, she claimed. “Now it [Daily Mail] will have to face law.”

In 2020, Shehbaz had filed a case in London High Court against British daily and its reporter David Rose for publishing a “fabricated and defamatory” report against him in July 2019.

“It was a fabricated and defamatory story which published in Daily Mail. It was a part of propaganda launched by [Prime Minister] Imran Niazi against PML-N in name of sham accountability,” he had said while addressing a news conference in London in January, 2020. Story ad appeared On July 14, 2019 in British newspaper accusing former Punjab chief minister and his family of embezzling millions of pounds out of £ 500 million aid lent by Department for International Development (DFID) for 2005 earthquake victims.

As soon as report surfaced, PML-N had termed it a conspiracy against Shehbaz hatched by PTI government.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 12 2022

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