April 1, 2026
By Hafiz ullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has emphasised that defamation lawsuits are private matters between two parties and, by law, should be resolved within six months. During a hearing on Tuesday, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb noted the importance of following the legal timeline for such cases.
He pointed out that under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, a decision must be reached within half a year. The judge made these comments while hearing appeals made by PTI founder Imran Khan. These appeals challenged a 2025 Lahore High Court (LHC) decision that refused to involve the Punjab government in a long-running 10-billion-rupee lawsuit filed by Shehbaz Sharif.
The lawsuit and the legal battle began in July 2017. Sharif had sued Imran Khan after the former Prime Minister alleged in a televised talk show and a public rally that he had been offered 10 billion rupees to withdraw from the Panama Papers case.
The courts have consistently ruled that this is a private dispute between two individuals. As a result, the Punjab law department is not considered a necessary party to the case. The case has faced several delays. A major point of contention is a 2023 Supreme Court judgment which found that Imran Khan’s conduct during the trial was “disobedient.” Because of this, the trial court closed his right to present a defence.
Advocate Muhammad Hussain , representing Khan, informed the three-judge bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar that a review petition regarding this “right of defence” is scheduled for April 7, 2026.
The Supreme Court has decided to pause further proceedings for now. The bench is waiting for the final outcome of the April 7 review petition.
That decision will determine if the case moves directly to a final verdict or if Khan is allowed a fresh opportunity to defend himself.