Pak Supreme Court issues contempt of court notice to Minister(Lead: Pak SC)

Pakistans Supreme Court on Friday issued a contempt of court notice to the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Sher Afgan Khan Niazi.

Islamabad, Aug.24 : Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday issued a contempt of court notice to the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Sher Afgan Khan Niazi.

A seven member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry conducted the hearing of the suo motto notice on Niazi's remarks about the judiciary.

Attorney General of Pakistan Malik Muhammad Qayyum, who also appeared in the court during the hearing, and was asked whether he saw the television program on Thursday in which Niazi had passed the objectionable remarks.

Qayyum said that he did not see the program, but the news that appeared in today's newspapers showed that objectionable language had been used about the court.

Later, the apex court issued a show cause notice to Niazi as to why action should not be taken against him. The court also directed the Minister to submit his reply within two weeks and appointed Attorney General Qayyum as prosecutor.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court took a suo motto notice of remarks made by the Minister, and said that it would conduct a hearing of the notice.

Niazi had passed the objectionable remarks about court's verdict in Sharif brothers' case during the Geo News program " Capital Talk".

He said that he would not accept the Supreme Court's (SC) "biased" verdict on the petitions of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif.

The Supreme Court had become a party in the case and the verdict may compel the government to impose an emergency in the country, Niazi told Geo News.

He said that the apex court was heading towards confrontation with the government, which the President and the government did not want.

"We accepted judicial independence, but it is going to end its freedom itself," NIazi was quoted, as saying.

The judiciary is one of the four organs of the state and must work in harmony with the other institutions instead of intervening in their affairs, he added.

Niazi also said that any contempt proceedings on his remarks would be a personal malice of the judges.

He claimed that the Supreme Court had not given the government lawyers time to present their arguments and that was why he was opposed to the verdict.

The Supreme Court has become a party and Chief JusticeChaudhry should form a 'Justice Party' and contest the elections, Niazi said.

He said that Nawaz and Shahbaz would be arrested on their return because cases were pending against them.

Law Minister Wasi Zafar said that the government would accept the Supreme Court's decision with "an open heart". Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid said the government's stand in the case was weak and the Supreme Court had made the right decision.

"The next two weeks are crucial and anything can happen," he said, but ruled out martial law or imposition of an emergency

Meanwhile in Lahore, an advocate -- M. D. Tahir -- has sent a legal notice to Niazi claiming Rs.50 million in damages for his derogatory remarks on the working of the judiciary.

Tahir, in his notice, said that Niazi's media interactions relating to the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice were a contempt of court and had hurt the sentiments of 160 million Pakistanis.

The notice demanded a public apology from the Minister within 15 days or else legal action against him for the damages would be taken.

ANI