Sindh government’s spokesman Sharjeel Inam Memon on Tuesday requested the Supreme Court to withdraw the contempt of court notice served on him for calling a strike to protest the court’s verdict against the appointment of Justice (r) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as NAB chairman.
In pursuance of court orders, Memon filed his reply with the court to the contempt of court notice, stating that a very wrong and negative perception was taken by the people of Sindh as well as other parts of the country about the disqualification of Deedar Hussain Shah and a timely call for strike was given to avoid any potential uncontrollable situation.
On March 26, the Supreme Court issued contempt notices to PPP leaders Taj Haider and Sharjeel Memon for criticising, ridiculing and instigating the people against the court verdict which disqualified the NAB’s chairman.
The court had directed Haider and Memon to file their replies after taking notice of the March 11 violence-ridden strike against the court’s verdict.
In his reply, Memon submitted that while making the statement, he had no intention to ridicule the court and it was a “fair and healthy comment on the decision” of the apex court.
He said the statement, unfortunately, had been misconstrued as no judge was ridiculed nor scandalised.
While serving the contempt notices to Haider and Memon, the SC had quoted a statement by Haider that legislators would take out a rally from the Sindh Assembly building to the Sindh High Court to lodge a protest against what he called a “politically-motivated decisions of the superior judiciary” and that there would be a general strike across Sindh against the “interference of the judiciary in administrative affairs”.
Haider had already filed a reply to the contempt notice.
Memon further submitted that the apex court might also take into account all other statements by political leadership, media analysts, citizens, religious leaders and members of the civil society that were made right after the judgment passed by the apex court in the Mukhtar Mai, NRO and several other cases.
