Supreme Court Restores Imran Khan’s Right to Defense in Defamation Case Filed by PM Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development in the long-running defamation case between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has restored Imran Khan’s right to defend himself in the proceedings.

The Supreme Court accepted Khan’s review petition by a 2-1 majority, overturning earlier decisions that had struck out his defense. Justice Ayesha Malik announced the short order in open court, directing the trial court to reinstate Khan’s right of defense and continue proceedings in accordance with the law.

According to the majority judgment, the dispute originated in 2017 when Imran Khan alleged that Shehbaz Sharif had offered him money to withdraw the Panama Papers case. In response, Shehbaz Sharif filed a defamation suit against Khan.

The court noted that the case has remained pending before the trial court for the past eight years. It also observed that Shehbaz Sharif, now serving as Prime Minister, had attended hearings through video link, while Khan had sought adjournments on more than 70 occasions and submitted his written reply four years late. As a result, the trial court had previously struck out his defense, a decision later upheld by the Lahore High Court.

Khan subsequently challenged the ruling before the Supreme Court. In December 2022, a three-member bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, with Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Ayesha Malik as members, had upheld the Lahore High Court’s decision by a majority of two to one, with Justice Ayesha Malik dissenting.

The review petition was later heard by a separate three-member bench headed by Justice Ayesha Malik and comprising Justice Hashim Kakar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The bench allowed the review petition by a majority of two to one, restoring Khan’s right to defense. One judge issued a dissenting note in favor of maintaining the earlier order that had struck out the defense.

The case will now return to the trial court for further proceedings.