Pakistan: Imran Khan sends 10 bn defamation notice to PIMS doctor for false claims of drug addiction

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 31 : After sending a defamation notice to Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel for making "false" claims about his health, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has now also sent a similar notice of PKR 10 billion to Dr Rizwan Taj, the doctor heading the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) medical board that prepared and released the ex-premier's medical report, after his arrest.
The notice stated that the information shared in the report, of Imran's tests conducted after his arrest on May 9, was "false, untrue, baseless and defamatory in nature".
It asked Dr Taj to pay PKR 10 billion for "deliberate and malicious representations through the preparation of a fabricated and false medical report of the client".
The notice, dated May 30, also called on the doctor to make a public apology to Imran, both on national and international media, on "account of the reputational damage caused" by the report.
It warned that failure to do the above within 14 days will result in legal proceedings being initiated against the doctor, possibly including proceedings under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, criminal proceedings and filing of a complaint against him before the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and other relevant forums.
"Shameful press conference of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's decision to take full legal action against the Minister of Health and his assistants. Chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan approved to bring Abdul Qadir Patel, NAB, Ministry of Health and doctors of Pims Hospital to justice. The legal team of Chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf under the leadership of Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi has started preparations. Abdul Qadir Patel's embarrassing press conference and baseless accusations will be dealt with under other laws including defamation," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf wrote on Twitter earlier this week.
Pakistan Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel last Friday, citing details of former prime minister Imran Khan's medical report, said it indicated excessive alcohol consumption, no information about a fracture on his leg, and unstable mental health, Geo News reported.
Patel was informing reporters in Karachi about the former prime minister's medical report after he underwent an examination at PIMS Hospital following his arrest on May 9.
At the outset of the press conference, the health minister, before sharing the report's details, said that it was a "public document".He said that the report does not have any details about the fracture on his foot, which Khan claimed he sustained following the November 3 assassination bid.
"He [Imran Khan] had a plaster on his foot for about five to six months, however, the medical report did not indicate any fracture," he added.
The minister said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief's urine sample was also taken. He said that the initial report shows toxic elements and the excessive usage of alcohol and cocaine, Geo News reported.
Geo News is one of the leading media houses in Pakistan with online as well as presence on television.
The Pakistan Health Minister further said that the report also mentioned Khan's mental health, according to which, his actions and body language are "not those of a fit man".
"The report stated that a person with stable mental health does not make these kinds of gestures," he said.
"I also used to say that Imran Khan's mental condition is not well," said Patel, adding that the PTI chief has ended decency in politics, political tolerance and respect for others.