ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced that a defamation lawsuit would be filed against former PTI member, retired justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, for maligning Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Addressing a press conference, Chaudhry said that even Jahangir Khan Tareen had refuted Ahmed's allegations of him paying for Bani Gala's running expenses.
Underscoring the need for legislation about freedom of expression, the minister said that even the dignity of the prime minister was not safe in the country.
He underscored the need for the right to freedom of speech and responsibility to go hand in hand.
Condemning Ahmed for maligning the prime minister, Chaudhry said that the premier never burdened the national exchequer.
He maintained that if PM Imran Khan had given any value to money, he would have been a "billionaire" after his divorce from Jemima Goldsmith in Britain, where courts see marriage as a partnership and demand assets of that partnership be shared equally.
The information minister said when Pakistan beat India on its soil, PM Imran Khan was the captain. Players were given plots, but the premeir dedicated all the money to the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Chaudhry added.
Imran Khan's reputation has been maligned repeatedly and baseless allegations have been made to defame him, the information minister said, adding that the premier does not spend Rs500,000 monthly and exhaust Pakistan's assets like others.
"Our court system has failed to protect people's dignity and there are a number of criminal defamation cases still pending in the courts," Chaudhry stated, adding that we see that maligning people's reputations is no longer a big deal, and the cases related to defamation have never been taken seriously.
The minister urged the court to enforce Article 9 of the Constitution, adding that the matter has been discussed with the action committee and the new draft related to the matter has been sent.
A case will also be filed against media channels that had telecast the "baseless allegations" without any evidence or confirmation, he stated.
"Some media channels made a campaign out of [the allegations]. You cannot telecast allegations anywhere in the world, especially when they are about state institutions," he added.
A day earlier, Tareen refuted Ahmed's allegations saying that he "never gave a single penny" for the household expenses of Bani Gala, the residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Taking to Twitter, Tareen said: “I did whatever was in my capacity to help PTI in the quest to build a new Pakistan but I never gave a penny for the household expenses of Bani Gala.”
He said that regardless of the current status of his relationship with PM Imran Khan, the truth must be told.
'Tareen used to pay Imran Khan's household expenses'
Ahmed had claimed that PM Imran Khan’s monthly household expenses were borne by Tareen.
Wajihuddin — who had resigned from the PTI back in 2016 — claimed that Tareen initially gave funds worth Rs3 million per month for the now-prime minister's household expenses, which was later increased to Rs5 million per month.
Speaking during a show on a private news channel, he said that the perception about Imran Khan being an honest man is "completely wrong".
“The man who doesn’t even pay for his shoelaces, how can you call that man honest?” Ahmed asked.
Earlier, responding to Wajihuddin’s claims, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had said: "Jokers like Justice Wajihuddin say things like these to increase their importance.”
Addressing a press conference, the information minister had said: “Such people are not recognised by their families either so there is no need to pay much attention to them."
Moreover, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said the claims were "completely false and illogical".
"Whoever knows Imran Khan, knows his honesty and dignity. Wajih sahib often makes illogical remarks such as these in despair over being expelled from the party," he said in a tweet.