Shehbaz to sue Daily Mail, Imran Khan for 'fabricated' article

Photo: AFP Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, PML-N president and former Punjab chief minister, is filing a suit against the Daily Mail, Prime Minister Imran Khan and his special assistant on accountability. The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, published a scathing report accusing him of embezzling millions of pounds of aid given by the UK for earthquake relief victims and schools. Shehbaz has accused the premier of being behind the report and "planting it". The PML-N has called the report ‘fabricated’ and says there is no truth to it. Shortly after the report was published, the UK’s Department For International Development (DFID) published a rebuttal, also claiming that there was no truth to the accusations. It said it released money to the Pakistani government, some during Shehbaz’s tenure as chief minister, on a payment by result basis, meaning they only released funds when the agreed upon work was completed. Related: PML-N denies Daily Mail report claiming Shehbaz embezzled UK aid Among its other claims, the Daily Mail accused Shehbaz and his family of taking kickbacks and laundering the money to the UK. Shehbaz says he has already filed three defamation cases against PM Khan but he hasn’t submitted his replies in the cases yet. Shahzad Akbar, the prime minister’s special assistant on accountability who has been quoted in the story, said the DFID should investigate the case. We have evidence of everything, he said, adding that the PML-N doesn’t want to go to court. The author of the controversial article, David Rose, is also standing by the report. He says he has evidence to back up his claims. If the case goes to court, he is ready to defend his article. Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.