The Sindh High Court on Thursday adjourned till March 9, 2015, the Rs. 2 billion defamation suit filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari against Sadaruddin Hashwani, a business tycoon.
Former president had sued the country’s one of the biggest tycoon for Rs. 2 billion for tarnishing his, and the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, image.
The plaintiff’s counsel Farooq H Naik and Shazia Hanjrah had submitted that Hashwani’s book titled “Truth Always Prevails” was aimed at disparaging and defaming plaintiff’s reputation nationally and internationally.“The book was published in a hostile country i.e. India wilfully, and mentioned false, misleading, derogatory and defamatory contents with a view to defame the plaintiff,” said Naik.
He said Hashwani maliciously distorted the facts and made false and fabricated statements against the plaintiff, which are full of blatant lies. Naik told the court that Zardari believes in complete freedom of speech as enunciated in Article 19 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, but in negation of its true spirit, the author had published the statements in the book mentioned supra against the plaintiff without having properly investigated and verified the claims.
He said that a legal notice was served to the author along with the publishers but they did not give any response. The counsel requested the court to issue a stay order against the publishing of the book and direct the author to pay Rs. 2 billion.
On Thursday, advocate Shazia filed a rejoinder with preliminary objections of Hashwani’s counsel with regard to jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit. A single bench comprising Justice Nazar Akbar took on record the rejoinder and adjourned the hearing till March 9. 2015.
