Particular Assistant to the Prime Minister on Abroad Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari has despatched a Rs1 billion defamation discover to PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif over allegations that the PM’s aide used his affect to permit pilgrims from Iran to return to the nation through Taftan with out fulfilling correct necessities.
Within the discover, a duplicate of which is out there with Daybreak.com, Bukhari outlines that Asif — whereas talking to the media exterior the Supreme Court docket on March 17 — had alleged that the he (Bukhari) “was responsible for allowing a flood of Zaireen [to enter Pakistan] from Iran without any quarantine or isolation as required by law and social responsibility norms”.
“You have essentially blamed me for the spread of the coronavirus,” Bukhari says in his discover, including that Asif later tweeted that these liable for the Covid-19 deaths within the nation have been Prime Minister Imran Khan, Particular Assistant to the Prime Minister on Well being Dr Zafar Mirza, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Zulfiqar Bukhari.
“By making and disseminating these defamatory statements […] you have inevitably injured my standing both at home and abroad. [The allegations] are likely to cause me financial loss, but also risk me being stigmatised and shunned in social circles,” the assertion reads.
Bukhari has directed Asif to “withdraw, recall and retract the defamatory imputations”, along with making a public apology “to be broadcast and disseminated prominently” and “post the same on all online platforms and websites on which the [allegations] were posted”.
The discover additionally known as for Asif to publish a contradiction to the defamatory assertion and imputation, “setting out the correct, factual position”.
A failure to do all three inside 14 days will end in Bukhari submitting for defamation fits price Rs1 billion towards Asif and others, it provides.
Earlier, Asif had stated that his lawyer would reply to Bukhari’s authorized discover as soon as he obtained it.
Talking to Daybreak, the PML-N chief had stated it was not simply him who was making the allegations towards Bukhari. “The whole country is now saying this,” he stated.
“Even one of his [Bukhari’s] relatives has made the statement ,” Asif had added.
