IHC orders all parties, including Rana Shamim, to appear for indictment on Jan 7

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered all parties, including Gilgit Baltistan former judge Rana Shamim Ahmed, to appear for indictment in the affidavit case on January 7.

In the 12-page verdict of the December 28 hearing on Friday, the court ruled that all parties were involved in contempt of court. It observed that the court is satisfied that the case pertains to contempt of court.

The court ruled that the affidavit reported in the newspaper was not part of any court proceedings.

"The stance taken by Ansar Abbasi and Amir Ghauri was unexpected. The court thought that the role of the reporter and editor was only restricted to publication of the news. Ansar Abbasi and Amir Ghauri said that the news was published in public interest and they think the content is true," it observed.

The court ruled that the protection of right to the fair trial in a democratic society is mandatory. "However, the freedom of expression cannot be applied to the pending cases," it said.

Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan has been appointed as the prosecutor in the case.