ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended proceedings in the long-running defamation case involving the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, after he challenged earlier court rulings.
A three-member bench led by Justice Ayesha Malik issued the stay order and directed Shehbaz Sharif to submit his response to the petition. The apex court noted that the matter will be fixed for hearing at the earliest opportunity.
The defamation dispute dates back to 2017, when Shehbaz Sharif filed a Rs1 billion lawsuit against Imran Khan over allegations that he had offered the PTI founder PKR 1 billion to stay silent regarding the Panama Papers controversy. Shehbaz Sharif denied the accusation and termed it baseless, subsequently initiating legal proceedings.
The case has been under trial in a sessions court in Lahore. Earlier, the trial court curtailed Imran Khan’s right to file a reply due to repeated delays. That decision was later upheld by the Lahore High Court, which observed that the petitioner had failed to submit his response within the stipulated timeframe.
Proceedings had advanced to the stage of recording evidence. In May 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recorded his statement via video link before the trial court. Meanwhile, the legal team representing the PTI founder completed cross-examination of witnesses Atta Tarar and Malik Ahmed Khan.
With the Supreme Court’s intervention, further trial proceedings will remain on hold until the petition is decided.
