- Bailable arrest warrants of ARY’s Mubashar Lucman, Suleman Iqbal issued in contempt case
ISLAMABAD
ONLINE
Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued bailable arrest warrants of private TV channel ARY Network Chief Executive Suleman Iqbal and ARY programme host Mubashar Lucman on account of their absence in contempt of court case.
The court has directed Islamabad inspector general to constitute a team under a senior officer to immediately take action against the accused.
A single bench of IHC led by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui took up for hearing Islamabad District Bar versus ARY case Tuesday.
The petitioner’s counsel Syed Nayab Hassan Gardezi, acting Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman Pervez Rathore, Information Secretary Dr Nazir Saeed, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Mehmood Khokhar and standing counsel Fazlur Rehman Niazi appeared before the court while Iqbal and Lucman remained absent.
While questioning PEMRA’s appointment procedure, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui asked as to why most of the PEMRA officers for the chairman’s post were coming from the police.
The court also directed the acting PEMRA chairman to “read court’s order in detail” so that case record could be aptly presented before the court.
Earlier, PEMRA had presented CDs of private TV channel program Khara Sach and other documents in the court.
The hearing of the case was adjourned till first week of August.
It may be mentioned that Islamabad District Bar president Nasir Ahmad Kiani had filed a petition in IHC, alleging that Lucman had launched a “vilification campaign” against the judiciary and chiefs of security agencies while families of judges of superior judiciary were being “particularly targeted”.