ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday heard the contempt of court plea against former Gilgit Baltistan (GB) chief judge Rana Shamim and others for their remarks against the judiciary.
Former GB Appellant Court Chief Justice Rana Shamim, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed, Advocate General Islamabad Niazullah Niazi, media owner Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, and journalist Ansar Abbasi appeared before the court.
During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked Rana Shamim if he has confirmed that the statement released by a journalist in his story was his original statement. “Yes the statement is mine, I endorse it,” replied Rana Shamim.
Rana Shamim said he was unaware of how his statement was leaked to the media. He told the court that the original affidavit was in the United Kingdom with his grandson and he was unsure which one was published in the newspaper. “I have noy yet seen the statement. My affidavit was sealed and only with my family. I don’t know how it was leaked,” he told the court.
IHC CJ Athar Minallah said the court has to see that the affidavit and the published news item are similar as any differences will raise serious concerns. The IHC top judge remarked that he personally does not believe in the contempt of court, but the position of the courts is at stake.
Shamim requested the court to give him more time to submit his response due to the death of his brother. The judge remarked that it was a serious matter and he should justify himself.
AGP Khalid Jawed Khan requested the court to direct Shamim to present the original affidavit. He contended that maybe his son leaked the affidavit, referring to lawyer Ahmed Hassan, who is also representing Rana Shamim in the case. Shamim responded that he had only one son who was usually present in Islamabad, reiterating that he had not seen the affidavit himself.
The court directed the former judge to submit his original affidavit in the court along with his written response within five days and adjourned the hearing till December 7.
During the last hearing on November 16, the IHC chief justice had directed the respondents to submit their replies to the show-cause notices within seven days. All four respondents except Rana Shamim have submitted their responses in court.
Former CJ Gilgit Baltistan Rana Shamim had claimed that former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar had asked a high court judge to keep former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif in jail till the 2018 general elections.
He claimed that he heard the conversation when the former CJP was visiting GB before the 2018 elections. Saqib Nisar rejected the claim and said that the allegations were far away from reality and a blatant lie.
