ISLAMABAD: The hearing on an affidavit filed by the former chief judge in which he levelled significant allegations of judicial manipulation by an ex-top judge of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, was extended till December 20.
Shamim was required to present a notarized original copy of the affidavit during today’s hearing, as per an earlier ruling of the high court, which said that he had until today to submit the affidavit and that failing to do so would result in a contempt of court indictment.
Shamim, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Jang Group, senior journalist Ansar Abbasi and resident editor Amer Ghouri appeared before the court during the hearing, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.
At the outset of the hearing, CJ Minallah remarked that an attempt was made to make the public lose trust in this court, as he referred to the report published by The News.
“An impression that the report concerning the affidavit gave shouldn’t be given,” CJ Minallah said, adding that the court will not tolerate it if it comes to betraying people’s trust in this court.
He said that the court is conducting hearings on the cases for compliance of orders passed by the International Court of Justice.
“How is a court supposed to deal with cases of fundamental rights if the people don’t have confidence in it?” he asked.
The court asked the parties to justify the publication of the story in light of international laws.
“An agency has an editor and editor-in-chief to keep a check on things,” Justice Minallah remarked.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi stated that Ansar Abbasi is one of the “best journalists whose reports are based on facts”.
“[The issue] should be published if the one who recorded the affidavit is confirming its authenticity,” Zaidi said.
At this, the court inquired if the document should still be published even if it is confidential.
“Ponder over the headline of the news story published,” Justice Minallah said, adding that reporting cannot be done this way on under-trial appeals.
An inquiry against the notary public can be initiated over the leak of a privileged document.
During the hearing, Attorney-General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan requested the court to direct Shamim to submit the original affidavit, and Abbasi and others to submit their counter-affidavit in court.
The AGP apprised the court that Shamim has claimed to have couriered the original affidavit on December 9.
“It should take three days in sending the affidavit,” he said.
He also read out Shamim’s response on the show-cause notice issued to him and quoted Shamim as saying: “I would have released the affidavit to media after recording the affidavit in Pakistan if maligning the judiciary was intended.”
The AGP has requested people who have been served with contempt of court summons to appear in court with their counter-affidavits.
“By then, Shamim’s original affidavit will have been received, and the process of the accused’s indictment will have begun,” the AGP noted.
The court granted AGP Khan’s request for an extension to issue the indictment to Shamim, pending the submission of Shamim’s original affidavit and counter-affidavits from other parties.
Rana Shamim’s name included in PNIL
Last Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed revealed that the former GB judge’s name had been placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
The former CJP is facing a contempt of court charge at the IHC for allegedly issuing directions to put PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in prison until the July 2018 elections.
