Lahore (Web Desk): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former premier Imran Khan on Tuesday served Rs10 billion defamation notice to Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel for allegedly for circulating “wrongful, baseless, false, misleading, erroneous, malicious and defamatory” information.
On May 26, while addressing a press conference, the health minister had shared a medical report of Imran Khan and claimed that "traces of alcohol and cocaine were found in the former premier’s urine analysis".
The notice served to Patel was sent under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002 for circulating “wrongful, baseless, false, misleading, erroneous, malicious and defamatory” information in his press conference.
As per the notice, through the press conference, the minister “dishonestly…alleged” that Imran’s medical tests showed traces of alcohol and cocaine in his urine sample and that the former premier’s “mental stability” was “questionable” in addition to “some appropriate gesture”.
The notice questioned how “alcohol and cocaine consumption can be traced through a urine test”.
"The medical report “failed to mention” that Imran “incurred head injury on the day of his illegal arrest”, and that “there are no details of a full trauma examination," it said, adding that the report emphasises a lot on mental state of our client however, no details of mental state examination have been provided.
The notice said that the health minister’s remarks were made “knowingly, consciously, willingly, deliberately and maliciously which is highly irrational and negates the principles of ethics and morals”. It further added that the comments were “also in violation of the standards and ethics which members of [the] Federal Cabinet must possess and display”.
It added that Patel was “responsible and liable for the defamatory circulation and dissemination” which caused “a loss” to the PTI chief’s “goodwill, injury to his reputation and adversely affected his honour”.
“Likewise, you (Qadi Patel) have also caused emotional trauma, mental agony, anguish and distress to our client”.
The notice demanded that the health minister “retract” his statements in the same “mode and manner” in which they were made, and “tender an unconditional apology and admit” that he “misstated”.
It further called Abdul Qadi Patel to pay “Rs 10 billion for defaming…and levelling false allegations” against Imran, adding that the money would be “donated to Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital”.
It was warned in the notice that if the demands were not fulfilled within 15 days, Imran Khan would be “compelled to institute legal proceedings”.