LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on a petition of incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, challenging the jurisdiction of the sessions court in a Rs10 billion defamation suit filed by the former against the latter.

Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal heard the petition, while senior lawyer Mian Muhammad Hussain Chotya appeared on behalf of the petitioner.The counsel pointed out that a similar petition had earlier been filed on behalf of his client in the case titled `Mian Dawood Advocate versus Syed Tassadug Mustafa Naqvi, for which notices have already been issued. In both petitions, he said, the jurisdiction of the additional district & sessions judge (AD&SJ) had been challenged.

Advocate Chotya requested the court that the relief granted in Mian Dawood`s case be also extended to the Imran Khan as well.The counselarguedthatunderthe defamation law, an AD&SJ does not have jurisdiction to hear the matter as only a district & sessions judge is authorised.

He requested the LHC to declare all trial proceedings on the defamation suit before an AD&SJ null and void.

Besides a notice to the respondent prime minister, Justice Iqbal issued a notice to the advocate general of Punjab for assistance on the legal point.

The judge also appointed Advocate Ahmad Farooq as an amicus curiae (friend of court) to assist the court on the legal question of jurisdiction.

The judge further ordered the office that all petitions of a similar nature challenging the jurisdiction of the AD&SJ be clubbed together for a consolidated hearing.

Separately, Justice Iqbal reserved a verdict on the maintainability of a petition of the PTI founding chairman seeking appointment of a commission to record the prime minister`s statement in the defamation suit.

The petition asked the LHC to overturn the trial court`s decision and form a local commission to record the PM`s statement in the ongoing defamation proceedings.

The suit pending since 2017 says Imran Khan wrongly accused PM Shehbaz of offering Rs10bn to him through a common friend in exchange for withdrawing the case of Panama Papers from the Supreme Court.

PM Shehbaz says Khan levelled baseless allegations against him, seeking a decree for recovery of Rs10bn as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content.

The PTI leader had filed his reply to the suit with a delay of four years in 2021, saying one of his friends told him that someone known to him and also the Sharif family approached him with an offer to pay billions of rupees if he could convince him (Mr Khan) to stop pursuing the Panama case.

Mr Khan said he disclosed the incident for the consumption of the public at large and an actin the interest of the public good does not constitute any defamation.

The reply maintained that Mr Khan did not specifically attribute any statement to the plaintiff (PM Shehbaz) while narrating the incident.