The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday stated that the post of president of the country is respectable but not immune to contempt of court proceedings. The larger bench headed by LHC Chief Justice LHC Umar Atta Bandial was hearing a case regarding dual posts of President Asif Ali Zardari. The bench adjourned the hearing to October 10 by ordering both parties to present their arguments. The hearing was adjourned due to absence of counsel for the federation Waseem Sajjad and Attorney General Irfan Qadir in court.
Chief Justice Bandial stated that the court had issued directives for presenting before it the objections on non-maintainability of the petitions and these should have been delivered. Petitioner’s counsel AK Dogar told the court that Waseem was counsel for the federation and his presence was not necessary. Additional Attorney General Abdul Hye Baloch while raising an objection in this regard asserted that the court may not hear the case in the absence of the defendants.
The LHC full bench later put off the hearing of the petitions till October 10. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Aitzaz Ahsan criticized the Supreme Court for disqualifying Yousaf Raza Gilani from the post of prime minister by calling the verdict “illegitimate”.
President respectable but has no immunity against contempt: LHC
