Babar Awan steps in to defend Imran Khan in libel case

Published January 29, 2015
Lawyer of Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan, Dr Babar Awan talks to media representatives after court hearing. - Online photo
Lawyer of Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan, Dr Babar Awan talks to media representatives after court hearing. - Online photo

ISLAMABAD: Former law-minister Babar Awan submitted his license at a local court on Thursday to defend Pakistan Tehreek-i-Pakistan (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a libel case filed by ex-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

Iftikhar Chaudhry's counsel and Babar Awan had an exchange of harsh words during the court session as he argued that Chaudhry had suspended Babar Awan's law license in the past.

Babar Awan argued that Imran Khan has faced "countless injustices" due to which he had to come out on the streets.

District and Session Judge Nazeer Ahmed remarked that a decision will be taken without any pressure. The court also asked Chaudhry's counsel to present his case regarding his accusations against Awan in the next hearing.

Babar Awan previously served as the federal law minister during Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) tenure.

Take a look at: Iftikhar Chaudhry sends Rs20 billion libel notice to Imran Khan

Last year, Iftikhar Chaudhry's counsel sent a defamation notice worth Rs20 billion to the PTI Chairman, on the grounds that he leveled rigging allegations against the ex-chief justice. Chaudhry's counsel also argued that Khan attempted to disparage and malign the superior judiciary.

Also read: I'm waiting to face Iftikhar Chaudhry in court: Imran Khan

Upon his return from Saudi Arabia, Khan once again trained his guns on the former chief justice and Justice (retd) Khalilur Rehman Ramday, alleging them of supervising rigging carried out during the May 2013 General Elections.

"Iftikhar Chaudhry and Justice (retd) Ramday controlled the returning officers ... both of them should be tried under Article 6," the PTI chief had said, while talking to reporters in Islamabad last week.

Speaking on the former chief justice's Rs20 billion libel notice, Imran had said he was waiting for Iftikhar Chaudhry to face him in the court. "Iftikhar Chaudhry is a traitor to democracy, I will prove this in the court," he said.

Opinion

Editorial

Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...
Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...