Petition against defiant Sharif filed in LHC for pouring scorn on judiciary

LAHORE: Another petition – seeking contempt proceedings – has been filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) against deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for pouring scorn on the judiciary in aftermath of landmark July 28 verdict by Supreme Court in Panamagate case, ARY News reported on Monday.

The petition has been filed by a citizen, Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, who has adopted a stance that the former premier had tried to cause controversy over apex court’s disqualification verdict in Panamagate case while addressing a lawyers’ convention here at Aiwan-e-Iqbal on August 25.

The petitioner has contended that disqualified PM Nawaz Sharif made blistering criticism on the judiciary by understating it and posing redundant questions on the jury, hence the court should initiate contempt of court proceedings against him.

Pleading for contempt proceedings, the petition further asserted that Nawaz Sharif had constantly been criticizing the Supreme Court judges, which not only constituted contempt of the court but also violated the constitution.

Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had barred PEMRA from airing anti-judiciary speeches of the Sharif brothers -Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif – and sixteen other members of the Parliament.

READ MORE: Defiant Nawaz Sharif gives another raging speech against judiciary

Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court last month after a string of corruption charges, and his party leaders have been quite vocal against the court and judges in their speeches in recent public gatherings.

According to the LHC order, Pemra must ensure that no statement of Sharif brothers and PML-N ministers, including Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Railways Minister Saad Rafique, targeting judiciary be aired.

The other PML-N leaders barred by the court from airing their anti-judiciary statements are Daniyal Aziz, Talal Chaudhry, Pervaiz Rasheed, Marriyum Orangzeb, Abid Sher Ali, Rana Sanaullah, Maiza Hameed, Ahsan Iqbal, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Asif Kirmani.

The court also sought reply from the chairman Pemra and its Council of Complaint in this regard.

The court issued such directions on the petition filed by petitioner Amina Malik against Sharif family and the PML-N ministers for their frequent diatribes against judiciary after Sharif’s ouster.