Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra has issued a defamation notice to former party member Sher Afzal Marwat, demanding Rs1bn in damages for alleged false accusations.
The legal notice, delivered through Jhagra’s representatives, comes after Marwat made allegations of financial misconduct during two televised talk shows on March 11, 2025.
Marwat accused Jhagra of embezzling Rs36bn from the pension fund and purchasing properties in Hayatabad and Islamabad using illicit funds.
Jhagra’s legal counsel, Advocate Ali Gohar Durrani, strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as baseless, malicious, and defamatory.
The notice further claimed that the accusations were made with the intent to damage Jhagra’s social and professional reputation, stressing that the statements lacked any factual basis and violated Pakistan’s Defamation Ordinance, 2002.
The notice demands that Marwat cease and desist from further defamatory remarks, issue a public apology through TV channels and social media platforms, retract his statements, clarify the misinformation publicly, and pay Rs1 billion in compensation for the reputational and professional damages caused by his claims.
Failure to comply with these demands within 14 days will result in civil and criminal proceedings, the notice warns.
This legal action comes amid growing tensions within PTI. Last month, PTI founder Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, ordered Marwat’s expulsion from the party for violating party discipline.
This decision followed Marwat’s controversial remarks at a rally in Swabi, where he criticised alleged election rigging and claimed that “bad people” like him had been helpful during difficult times, while “good people” had remained silent.
Khan expressed his displeasure with Marwat’s statements and directed party leadership to terminate his membership. Marwat, in turn, responded to his expulsion by asserting that his unwavering support for PTI during challenging times had been ignored and that his voice had not been heard before his removal.
