Murder plot charges against Zardari: PPP sends Rs10bn legal notice to Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Monday served a legal notice on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over his allegations against the party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari about his [Imran Khan’s] alleged assassination plot.

Last week, former prime minister Imran Khan had levelled serious allegations against former president Asif Zardari, claiming that he wanted to kill him through ‘hired’ terrorists. The PPP termed the charges baseless and announced sending legal notice to Imran Khan.

On Monday, Senator Farooq H Naek, the legal advisor of Asif Zardari, sent a notice to Imran Khan and asked him to tender an unconditional apology on television, print and social media in 14 days or face legal proceedings. He said civil as well as criminal cases would be filed with the courts of law of Pakistan and England, for payment of Rs10 billion damages.

The notice said that on January 27, 2023, in his video-link address, which was broadcast on almost all news channels all over the world including England, and reported in all newspapers globally, Imran khan made false, fabricated and scandalous remarks, and levelled baseless allegations of serious nature against the former president.

“Through your defamatory, libellous, scandalous remarks and allegations of serious nature, you have tried to create a link between our client and terrorist organisations blindly, disregarding the fact regarding our client and his party which have remained a victim of terrorism,” the notice added.

“In your statement, you have stated that our client, through corruption money, is hatching fresh planto allegedly assassinate you despite the fact that our client has languished in prison for almost eight years in false, fabricated, trumped up and concocted cases including corruption cases and not one of which was proved against him and he was acquitted in all those cases honourably,” the notice pointed out to the PTI chief.

The notice said, “Our client has held the highest constitutional posts of Pakistan and made struggle for betterment of the country, which is evident from the fact that he has been called the founder of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as he had initiated the great project. Hence your baseless allegations against our client have also harmed the global reputation of Pakistan.”

The notice said, “Our client believes that your serious allegations of paying terrorists and plotting your assassination are false, libellous, scandalous and without any proof, and are vehemently denied. Hence the same have been made with mala fide intentions in order to defame our client for ulterior motives and other reasons best known to explain in this regard.”

It stated that the allegation levelled by him also caused great harm and hurt the sentiments of members of Pakistan People’s Party, who are not only living in Pakistan but all over the world, and damaged and defamed their reputation. “Your actions have maligned, smeared and dishonoured our client’s name and reputation, within the country as well as abroad, as the same is an attack on his personal life as well on his political career.

“You, through your malicious accusations, have defamed our client with ulterior motives to get undue benefit in current political situation of the country,” the notice added.