ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday started contempt proceedings against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The petition filed by Advocate Makhdoom Niaz Inqalabi states that the former premier often criticised judges while addressing the public, requesting the court to ban transmission of speeches by Nawaz.
Taking up the petition, Justice Aamer Farooq observed that a similar case is being heard in the Lahore High Court.
“Let’s wait and see what directions the LHC gives in the case,” the judge remarked and adjourned the hearing until February 26.
He also directed the petitioner to present arguments regarding the rules of the Press Council of Pakistan at the next hearing.
Nawaz has time and again criticised the judiciary for “disrespecting” the public’s vote by ousting him from the office in Panama Papers case.
Even after his party’s victory in NA-154 by-elections in Lodhran, Nawaz said the poll results showed the public rejected the apex court’s decision.
Nawaz, along with PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and MNA Hamza Shehbaz, was in Lodhran on February 17 to thank the public for voting in the candidate fielded by their party.
Besides the Lodhran rally, statements disapproving the judiciary’s decision of his disqualification have been heard from Nawaz on multiple occasions. On Monday, in what appears to be an attempt to take judiciary head on, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi hinted at, without being specific about what he meant, introducing some sort of legislation to muzzle judiciary. This came after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary party, in a meeting earlier in the day, decided to change the party strategy to target the top judges through parliament, rather than publicly assaulting the top judiciary.
