LAHORE: Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday submitted an unconditional apology in the Lahore High Court (LHC) in relation to a contempt of court case against him for making anti-judiciary speeches.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi heard the petition, which was filed by Munir Ahmad against Iqbal, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and 16 other leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for allegedly making contemptuous speeches.
During the hearing, Iqbal submitted a detailed answer to the court stating that he respected the judiciary. The court also observed that Iqbal’s written statement did not contain the correct legal terms.
Furthermore, Iqbal stated that he had just returned from a near-death experience while referring to an assassination attempt against him last month and as of now the moment titles do not matter to him.
Addressing the media after the hearing, Iqbal said, “the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a group of opportunists,” adding that PTI chief Imran Khan is not doing justice to his party members.
Earlier, the petitioner stated that Iqbal and Nawaz had used derogatory language against the Supreme Court judges on April 25 and 23, respectively, and the same was aired by the local TV channels.
He had contended that the respondents’ action was barred under Article 68 of the Constitution but the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) did not take any action despite being empowered by the PEMRA Ordinance.
Munir Ahmad also stated that the authority failed to implement provisions of PEMRA Ordinance and the court orders of April 16, therefore, contempt proceedings should be initiated against the respondents.
