LAHORE: In a tit-for-tat move, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced to file a Rs 10 billion defamation suit against Muttahaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leadership, hours after the MQM filed a Rs 5 billion defamation suit against PTI chairman Imran Khan at the Sindh High Court for issuing statements against MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
The PTI has already started consultation with lawyers to claim Rs 10 billion in damages, the party’s spokesperson Shireen Mazari said.
Mazari said that statements of MQM leaders have damaged the PTI’s reputation.
Talking to media persons at the SHC premises on the occasion of filing the libel suit, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that half an hour after senior PTI leader Zehra Shahid Husain was killed on the eve of re-polls in Karachi’s NA-250 constituency, the bed-ridden PTI chief had levelled allegations against Altaf Hussain.
Sattar added at that time that no case had been registered nor had any investigations taken place yet Imran Khan had announced his verdict.
He further said that the PTI chief should tender an apology for levelling baseless allegations against Altaf Hussain.
MQM’s Senator Farogh Nasim said that a notice in this regards was sent to PTI chief Imran Khan earlier as well but no reply was received from him.
Nasim further said that the defamation suit was the first step of many more to come.
DND