ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking action against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s controversial statement about the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The counsel of petitioners’, Babar Awan asserted that Nawaz Sharif committed “treason”. “This is the matter of violating the law,” he added.
“Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should be given orders to take action against Nawaz Sharif and a ban on broadcast of his speeches should also be imposed,” the petition demanded.
Advocate Babar Awan quoted the example of the Lahore High Court orders to bar the speeches of the founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as a reference.
The FIA director general, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman have been named as respondents in the petition.
Deposed premier Nawaz Sharif, in an interview with a leading English daily, said that “militant organisations are active” in Pakistan and asked the interviewer if the state should allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai.
The PML-N supreme leader’s stance on the Mumbai attacks opened a floodgate of criticism from analysts, politicians and opinion makers in Pakistan.
Sharif, who was answering a question about his ouster during the interview, steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security by saying that Pakistan has isolated itself in international arena despite giving sacrifices in the war on terror.
