The PPP on Monday served a legal notice on PTI Chairman Imran Khan and demanded an “unconditional apology” for “fabricated and scandalous remarks” allegation that PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari was plotting his murder.

Last week, former prime minister Imran Khan, who is recovering at his Lahore residence following a gun attack on him near Wazirabad last year, had accused Zardari of being part of a conspiracy to “get rid of him”.

He had alleged that after “two” failed attempts on his life, the four people — who he has previously claimed to have hatched a conspiracy to kill him — along with the PPP leader, have now prepared a “Plan C” to eliminate him.

The legal notice — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — referred to Imran’s Jan 27 video address to party representatives wherein, according to the notice, he reportedly said: “Asif Zardari has paid his corruption money to a terrorist organisation being supported by facilitators of a powerful state agency to launch another attack on me.”

It said the “baseless accusations of malicious and defamatory nature you have tried to defame our client nationally as well as internationally.”

Moreover, it added, that “through your defamatory, libelous, scandalous remarks and allegations of serious nature you have tried to create a link between our client and terrorist organisations blindly disregarding the fact that our client and his party has remained the victim of terrorism”.

The notice, served through the PPP’s legal counsel Farooq H. Naek, said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the wife of the complainant, was also assassinated by terrorists.

“Furthermore in your statements you have stated that our client, through corruption money, is hatching a fresh plan to 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 honorably,” the notice reads.

It asked Imran “to render an unconditional apology on television, print and social media, within 14 days from the receipt of the notice”.

The PPP warned Imran of initiating legal proceedings in case of non-compliance.

“Failing to do so shall be constrained to institute appropriate legal proceedings against you, civil as well as criminal, before the competent courts of law and forums of Pakistan as well as of England, including but not limited to suit for damages for Rs. 10,000,000,000/- (Rs1 billion) at your risk as to cost and consequences,” according to the notice.