Sheikh Waqas Akram sends Rs1 billion legal notice to Fawad Chaudhry

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram has served a legal notice of one billion rupees in defamation to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry over false, frivolous and derogatory statements.

PTI's official X (formerly Twitter) handle posted the notice on Monday. The notice demands that the former federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry issue a public apology within 14 days. Failure to do so will result in legal action being initiated against him.

In February 2025, Chaudhry launched a scathing attack against PTI leaders, including Raoof Hassan and Akram, after the party issued a statement condemning his violent altercation with lawyer Shoaib Shaheen outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi on February 15.

Chaudhry wrote that Akram started his career as a courier. “Now, he is enjoying luxury at the expense of PTI’s funding and the provincial budget,” Chaudhry alleged in a post on X.

He went on to write a series of allegations against PTI's political committee, saying that it was involved in the embezzlement of public funds. 

“The majority of members in PTI's political committee […] have embezzled millions in party funds. They refuse to be held accountable for funds collected in the name of Imran Khan [PTI founder] and party workers,” Chaudhry alleged.

According to the notice, Chaudhry used his official social media accounts, including X and various YouTube channels, to level unfounded allegations against Akram. Chaudhry’s statements accused Akram of conspiring against PTI, causing political harm, and being involved in corruption worth billions.

The notice claims that former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry made false, baseless, and defamatory statements that were broadcasted on media against Akram, damaging the latter's political reputation and affecting his public standing.

“That pursuant to your insinuating and insulting statements on media, the fame and reputation of my client in the eyes of family members, friends, colleagues, politicians, political workers, members of PTI, acquaintances, and general public nationally and internationally has been tarnished smeared and sullied. You deliberately and willfully tried to impair the reputable image of my client for undue gains without any cogent, convincing and strong evidence of the alleged defamatory and derogatory statements published/posted on media,” the notice read.

“….Your (Fawad Chaudhry's) false and defamatory statements were also published in all print media, including the Current, Dawn, ARY News (website), the Urdu Point, AAJ News, Nawaiwaqt and a number of other newspapers,” the notice further noted.

As per the notice, failure to tender an unconditional apology to Akram or inability to pay one billion rupees as damages within the stipulated time, the PTI Central Information Secretary would be at liberty to initiate legal proceedings against Chaudhry.