LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday summoned more witnesses in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Rs10 billion defamation suit against PTI founder Imran Khan, following the completion of cross-examination of another witness. The hearing was conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani, and the witness, Adnan Raza, appeared before the court. The witness recorded his statement, saying that he and his family were politically affiliated with the PML-N. Mr Raza stated that on April 8, 2017, the PTI founder made false allegations against PM Shehbaz, claiming that someone from the prime minister’s family had offered him Rs10 billion to remain silent over the Panama Papers case. The witness added that Mr Khan repeatedly made these allegations. He further testified that on May 9, 2017, he read in a newspaper that PM Shehbaz had sent a legal notice to Mr Khan regarding the allegations. Mr Raza said the false claims damaged PM Shehbaz’s reputation and created public unrest against him, noting that the impact of these allegations was reflected in the PML-N’s defeat in his constituency. The defendant’s counsel, Muhammad Hussain Chotia, cross-examined the witness. In response to his queries, Mr Raza clarified that he did not claim all incidents occurred in Punjab. He added that he had watched the relevant statements of Mr Khan on television. The witness stated it was incorrect to suggest that PM Shehbaz came to power through rigging with the help of the Election Commission of Pakistan by preparing Form-47. He also said that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif was not disqualified due to the Panama Papers case but for not drawing a salary from his son’s company. When asked if corruption led to PML-N’s defeat in his constituency, the witness replied that it was incorrect and attributed the loss to the ‘false allegations’ made by the PTI leader. After the cross-examination was completed, the judge summoned additional witnesses for Jan 24. Previously, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had also recorded statements as witnesses for the prime minister. PM Shehbaz filed the suit in 2017, stating that the PTI founder had made baseless allegations against him. He is seeking Rs10 billion in compensation and damages for the publication of defamatory content. Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2025