IHC takes up petition requesting ban on Nawaz’s anti-judiciary speeches

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday took up a petition requesting a ban on Nawaz Sharif’s anti-judiciary speeches.

In a petition, Advocate Makhdoom Niaz Inqalabi requested the court to ban former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from making inflammatory and derogatory remarks about the judiciary publicly.

Taking up the petition, Justice Aamer Farooq noted that a similar case is being heard in the Lahore High Court against Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

“Let’s wait and see what directions the LHC gives in the case,” the judge remarked and adjourned the hearing until February 26.

Justice Farooq further instructed the petitioner to articulate his objections in correspondence to the rules of the Press Council of Pakistan in the next hearing.

Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim on Monday summoned a responsible officer of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) by Feb 23 on a petition seeking action against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Safdar for their alleged anti-judiciary speeches.

Advocate Azhar Siddique, the counsel for the petitioner Amna Malik, a member of civil society, contended that Nawaz Sharif had been making anti-judiciary speeches against state institution since his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. He said his daughter Maryam had also used similar rhetoric. The lawyer said both had been running a vilification campaign against the judiciary.

The counsel referred to the ongoing public gatherings in which the former PM addressed and allegedly made contemptuous remarks targeting judges of the superior courts.