PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has formally launched a defamation suit against journalist David Rose and Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT), the publishers of the Mail Online and Mail on Sunday. The case has been filed at the London High Court, said a press release issued here from London on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference at the office of British law firm Carter-Ruck in London, Shehbaz said the PTI government with its false and propagandist designs had not only sought to defame him, but the entire country by insinuating that Pakistan doesn't deserve the world's attention towards its education and healthcare challenges.

Flanked by Alasdair Pepper and Antonia Foster, who are representing Shehbaz in his legal case against the paper, the PML-N President regretted that the Mail publications made allegations without any proofs. Shehbaz said Imran Niazi a compulsive liar consumed by his hatred and vengeance, and his cronies were behind the fabricated and defamatory Daily Mail story in an intentional effort at character assassination.

He said it was clear that the Mail journalist was used by the PTI government by granting the journalist "exclusive access to some of the tempered results of a high-level probe ordered by Imran Niazi including a confidential investigation report in addition to unhindered access to question individuals held on remand in jail.

He said the allegations were never properly put to him in advance of publication. Not was any verification sought from him before running this smear campaign unilaterally. The PML-N president said the story was nothing more than a dig at defiling his image among the people of Pakistan and elsewhere and to discredit PML-N.

"They couldn't compete with the PML-N in anything. Imran Khan Niazi is an expert in only one thing, ever since he retired from cricket. Lies, deceit, taking U-turns and making false allegations," he said.

He said that the Transparency International's recent report had frightened the government, which was now attacking and victimising political opponents. The former Punjab chief minister wondered at the clarification issued by the TI Pakistan when the report had been released by the main chapter of the NGO in Berlin.

Shehbaz referred to PM's special assistant Shahzad Akbar as a 'sycophant', saying that he was also involved in getting the Daily Mail story published. He announced that legal action will be taken against the publication, saying that there was "not even a shred of evidence" against him.

"I want to ask the people of Pakistan, even if there was a shred of evidence against me, why would they [government] have a story published in the Daily Mail against me? Why else would the NAB-Niazi nexus file cases against me?" he asked.

He said that DFID had done "a great job" in training the youth of Pakistan and providing them healthcare. He said that instead of thanking DFID and the British authorities, the Pakistani government was defaming them.

"Little did they realise that while trying to hit me, they [government] are bringing a bad name to Pakistan," he said. Speaking at the press conference, Shehbaz's lawyer Pepper confirmed that the defamation claim has been issued at the London High Court's Queen's Bench Division against defendants DMGT and David Rose, author of the story.

He confirmed that Mail Publications are in receipt of the claim form. It is understood that the case will go to trial before a judge at the Royal Court of Justice in under a year as the minimum time to get a trial date is between nine months to a year.-PR