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IHC reserves verdict on contempt petition against PM

IHC reserves verdict on contempt petition against PM
November 26, 2019
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved its verdict on Tuesday on the admissibility of a petition accusing Prime Minister Imran Khan of contempt of court for his controversial remarks on the judiciary in a recent speech. During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the petitioner what issue he has with the prime minister’s speech. The petitioner responded that the prime minister had ridiculed the judiciary. It is noteworthy that the petition filed by former inspector general police Saleemullah Khan contends that Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech on November 18 committed contempt and tried to make the judiciary controversial. The chief justice said the courts welcome criticism on them, to which the claimant replied that there is a difference between criticism and humiliation. “Do you want the trial of an elected prime minister?” Justice Minallah asked. “Do you know the outcome of such a move? Do you want the prime minister to be disqualified?,” Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked. The court The petitioner also submitted a video recording and transcript of PM Khan’s speech along with the petition. Meanwhile, the court will announce the verdict regarding maintainability of the petition against the prime minister. Earlier, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa has asked the critics of the judges to be a little bit cautious. Addressing a ceremony on Wednesday, he said that the prime minister should not taunt the judges with the word of ‘powerful’ as he himself had allowed him (Nawaz Sharif) to go abroad. “We convicted a prime minister and disqualified another one. The case of former army chief is about to be decided. Only the law is powerful before us,” he said. Responding to the prime minister’s reference to resources, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that the present judiciary should not be compared with the judiciary in 2009. “Whatever we did up till now did without resources. We disposed of the pending murder cases in 17 districts,” he said.