Shaukat to pay Rs150m in defamation suit to Asfandyar

Humayun Khan

PESHAWAR: District and Sessions Judge (D&SJ) ordered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai to pay Rs 150 million to Chief of Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan in defamation lawsuit, on Monday.

As per details, the district and session judge issued the five-page written verdict stating that Shaukat Yousafzai did not appear before the court despite summon notices.

In 2019, Chief of Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan served a defamation notice to the then KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai for ‘libelous statements’ without the support of any reasonable proof or justification.

The notice was issued through late senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi asking the then provincial minister to tender a public apology and get it published with the same prominence as the ‘defamatory remarks’, otherwise, Asfandyar will proceed to prosecute him in a criminal court of law.

The notice is issued under section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002 asking the minister to retract statement within 14 days failing which as per his right under the law will initiate a defamation suit of worth Rs 100 million in damages in the competent court of law. After the opposition parties political gathering in Peshawar on July 25 Yousafzai in his press conference has said that opposition parties couldn’t gather even 2000 people. He has alleged that during ANP government in the province, Asfandyar has sold Pakhtuns on 25 million dollars.

The notice said that Asfandiyar Wali Khan is the son of late Khan Abdul Wali Khan and grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan alias Bacha Khan who is amongst the prominent and internationally known leaders of the freedom movement and they have left an impact on the politics in Pakistan.

Asfandyar Wali Khan is the central president of ANP and is a well-known politician in Pakistan. He is four times elected as MNA, served four times elected as MNA, served as a Senator and was also elected to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly. “That your defamatory accusation against Asfandiyar has left an adverse effect on the public minds and thus Asfandayar’s status has been tarnished in the eyes of the general public which is not permissible under the law,” said the defamation notice.