ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday dismissed a contempt application submitted against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Abdul Rehman Malik.
Heading a three-member bench, Justice Nisar heard the contempt of court plea submitted against Malik.
Malik’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, argued that the top court should dismiss the plea as the inter-court appeal had already been rejected.
The CJP dismissed the application after hearing the arguments. After the plea was dismissed, Malik thanked the court for ending the matter as he had been attending the hearing as an interior minister since the past five years.
The petitioner, Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, had stated that Malik had failed to compensate the government for the benefits utilised during his tenure as a senator despite the top court’s order in the dual nationality case.
The CJP, after the hearing, remarked that he had turned down 55 applications in the chamber and in the next two weeks, he will hear more cases that had never been worked upon by anyone before.
In December 2017, the former interior minister landed into hot water after a written response was submitted by the Ministry of Interior to a question by Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in the National Assembly, revealed that Malik and top bureaucrats in interior ministry may have violated laws by hiring 147 persons in the Passport Office
Earlier on March 13, the CJP had dismissed contempt petitions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying that the court will initiate action on anti-judiciary remarks at “appropriate time”.
The same day court also dismissed contempt petitions against Federal Minister for Railways Saad Rafique, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Ashiq Awan, former Senate chairman Nayyar Bukhari and Captain (r) Safdar.
The contempt cases against late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Syed Iqbal Haider were also declared ineffective and disposed of.
The court also wrapped up a petition against the holding of dual offices —president of Pakistan and army chief — by General (r) Pervez Musharraf.
