May 03, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 26, 1429

LAHORE, May 2: Hina Muzaffar, a civil judge, will hear a Rs220 million defamation case filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf against fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar here on Saturday, board chief’s lawyer Tafazzul Hyder Rizvi said on Friday.

Dr Nasim had given a legal notice to Shoaib for levelling serious allegations against him. The PCB chairman had demanded an apology in public from Shoaib for the charges. Otherwise, the board chief had said, he would move the court.

“The defamation suit has been filed after Shoaib failed to respond to a notice sent to him earlier for making unsubstantiated, damaging and defamatory statements about my client,” Tafazzul said, adding the first hearing was set for Saturday.

The lawyer added that he had also filed a separate application praying the judge to order Shoaib not to sell any of his immovable property till the final decision of the case.