ISLAMABAD: Shortly after a letter detailing the PTI chairman’s response to the ex-chief justice was circulated by the media on Monday, Imran Khan said he stands by his statements regarding Iftikhar Chaudhry’s alleged involvement in rigging the May 2013 elections.

In a tweet followed by an address to sit-in participants, Imran said he rejects reports that he lauded the former top judge.

Founding PTI member Imran Ismail said the said letter had been drafted by the lawyer without consultation with Imran Khan.

When contacted by Dawn, Khan’s counsel Hamid Khan said the letter specifically addressed the legal notice served by Iftikhar Chaudhry and was formulated after discussion with the PTI Chairman.

The letter was sent to the former chief justice’s legal team on August 12, he said.

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Imran ‘did not abuse judiciary’

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On July 25, the former chief justice had sent a Rs20 million defamation notice to the PTI chairman.

However, in a written response to the libel notice which emerged today, Khan’s lawyers said he did not mean to “abuse or disrespect any member of the judiciary”, and urged the former chief justice to “reconsider the idea of entering into personal litigation”.

The letter, filed by Advocate Hamid Khan and dated August 2, said: “Our client has high respect and regard for the judiciary as an institution and would continue to do so in the future.

“We believe that whatever has been said by our client was an expression of disappointment due to the failure of the ECP and the judiciary to dispense justice to him and his party at every level. The language used may not be appropriate but unfortunately so is the nature of discourse during public meetings and political press conferences. He did not mean any of the what you have quoted him to have said. It was only an expression of protest and disappointment stated rather in strong terms.”

Addressing Iftikhar Chaudhry, the letter added: “We believe that it may not be appropriate for a former Chief Justice of Pakistan to enter into any personal litigation. We are aware that your focus has always been on rendering service to the country and did never care about making money…In any case, our lawyer never meant to cause any mental agony or torture or harassment or humiliation to you.”

“We hope that you will reconsider the idea of entering into personal litigation,” it added.

Copy of letter sent by Imran Khan's lawyers to former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry: