ISLAMABAD, : The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday delayed the indictment in the contempt case against Rana Shamim and others fixing January 7 as the new date for the arraignment.
The IHC headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the contempt case against former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court Rana Shamim and others in Islamabad.
The court deferred the indictment in the case till Jan 7. Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan said that since Rana Shamim committed contempt by writing an affidavit against former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, he should confess his offense and seek forgiveness.
The attorney general said if Rana Shamim tendered his apology, he too would request the court to stop any further proceedings against him. He wondered for the last three days, news regarding the place where the affidavit was recorded had been circulating in the media but no denial came from Rana Shamim.
The Chief Justice said that Rana Shamim alleged that a former CJP was instructing on phone that Nawaz Sharif should not be allowed bail before the 2018 general elections. The IHC CJ asked journalist Abbasi did he have knowledge how many benches were formed before and after the 2018 elections.
“Nawaz Sharif got relief from the court after two weeks. So what was the logic in it that he should be out of jail after elections and not before them,” the CJ wondered.
Earlier, former GB chief judge Rana Shamim present his affidavit in the Islamabad High Court.
The court ordered Mr Shamim to open the envelope containing affidavit himself.
Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan told the court that Rana Shamim had said that he had given the sealed affidavit to his grandson but when the affidavit was sent to the courier service, it wasn’t sealed.
On this, Mr Shamim confirmed that he had affixed this envelope and the affidavit was sealed.
Chief Justice Minallah asked Mr Shamim’s lawyer Latif Afridi what legal action was taken by his client against journalist Ansar Abaasi who published the contents of the affidavit without his client’s consent. “What do you reckon, Mr Shamim’s privacy was not breached,” the CJ inquired.
Mr Afridi said though Ansar Abbasi being a media person enjoyed some journalistic freedom but as a matter of fact, his client could not take any legal action against him because of the ongoing contempt case.
When Justice Minallah asked the lawyer who was the beneficiary of this affidavit, he said he had no knowledge of it.
The CJ remarked that even the beneficiary got relief from this court.
