Islamabad High Court on Friday dismissed a plea on the ground of maintainability that sought contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Rana Sanaullah and Maryam Nawaz and Maryam Aurangzeb among others a day ago.
While hearing the petition, single-member bench of the IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani observed that nothing has been mentioned of the IHC in the comments considered contemptuous. “You should go to the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court, as these are the courts you have spoken of,” the judge said while addressing the counsel for the petitioner.
A lawyer, Ali Ijaz Buttar has filed the plea urging the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the respondent over alleged charges of maligning the courts.
He submitted that he is an ordinary citizen and came across a number of statements, media talks and videos of the PDM leaders on social media. He further said that he was shocked to see that the respondents who represent the ruling elite of Pakistan and are running the affairs of the federal government unfortunately, don’t have respect for the institutions of Pakistan, especially the judiciary, which is the most sacred institution.
The petitioner alleged that the respondents had time and again used contemptuous language against judges of the supreme and high courts. He further alleged, “These attitudes, acts, and speeches are not only contemptuous, but have also scandalized the honorable judges of the high court and Supreme Court of Pakistan and “shattered” the confidence of the public in the judiciary and the judicial system”.
However, dismissing the plea, the bench asked the petitioner to avail relevant forum for remedy in the matter in hand.
