ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Daniyal Aziz on Wednesday withdrew his plea against the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify him from public office.
Aziz was disqualified in June this year from contesting the elections for a five-year period under Article 63(1)(g) of the Constitution for contempt of court.
“…a person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), if he has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction…unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release,” reads Article 63(1)(g).
In August, the PML-N leader filed an appeal against his conviction and denied he had committed contempt.
“I never said the words that were written in the newspaper and for which I was held in contempt,” he said.
He further said that TV networks had censored the sentence for which he was held for contempt of court, arguing that this was equal to him not having the sentence at all.
“I never violated the court’s orders,” he said at the time.
“In fact, me and my party — the PML-N — have always implemented the court’s orders. To disagree is our right, we have always done that and will keep on doing it,” he added.
PROCEEDINGS:
On February 7, the apex court had issued to Aziz a notice for contempt of court for an “anti-judiciary” speech made by him.
On March 13, the SC had indicted Aziz in the contempt case, although the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The SC bench had observed that Aziz was “committed to scandalising the court”.
On May 3, the top court had reserved its judgment in the contempt of court case against Aziz. A three-member bench, headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, was hearing the case. The defence counsel, Ali Raza, had contended that his client, Daniyal Aziz, never intended to malign the judiciary, adding that he had just criticised judgments in public.
Raza had stated that the headline appearing in an Urdu daily, which was attributed to him, was denied, and the witness (reporter) had also confirmed that Aziz had not used these words. On the statement aired by private TV channel, he had stated that his client was addressing a private function at the Punjab House in which the TV channel was not allowed for coverage
Raza had said that Aziz was referring to a “script” mentioned by Javed Hashmi in January last year according to which PTI was to topple the PML-N government with the assistance of some elements of the establishment.
