The Supreme Court of Pakistan has temporarily stayed proceedings in a defamation case filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against the PTI founder and has issued a notice to the Prime Minister seeking his response. The case, involving a claim of Rs 10 billion, will be scheduled for urgent hearing.
During the hearing, Justice Ayesha Malik noted that no representative appeared for the other side and highlighted her dissenting note in the case. Previously, a two-judge bench had upheld the trial court’s decision to terminate the founder’s right to defend due to his absence. The founder’s counsel, Ali Zafar, argued that the founder was unable to attend the trial because he was injured by a gunshot wound in his leg.